For the past year, my bed has been an air mattress. I like it that way. I can make the bed as firm or as soft as I like. Sometimes I want the cloud-soft cozy, and sometimes I want it firm. Air mattresses as beds are ideal for suiting every sleeping mood. And it worked very, very well for me for nine months.
Then...well, one of the air chamber dividers gave out and I had a lopsided bed. But that wasn't so bad. I even sorta liked it. It was like an built in body pillow.
However, shortly afterwards, I noticed that the bed tended to get just a bit softer overnight. I started having to add air to it every other day or so. Then every day. Then every night right before I went to bed. Obviously, the thing had sprung a leak, and I just couldn't find where. It puzzled me, and it annoyed me because I knew I'd have to replace it. I didn't want to do that. I knew I wouldn't able to find one just like it that I could afford, especially if it wasn't going to last a year. But I did it. I found another air mattress, not quite as good because it didn't air up quite as tall, but otherwise just as comfy to sleep in. I've had it for about...a month.
Well, I ain't got it anymore. I have discovered the leak. Air mattresses are not to be used as cat launching or landing pads.
See, yesterday I went out to do laundry. No big deal. I do it once every two weeks. When it's only your clothes to clean, you don't have to go often, you know. I came home and started to put the clothes away, but delayed making up the bed. I'm going to try my hand at skiing next weekend, so I needed to hit the schoolbooks hard. However, I did notice the bed was a little soft, so I aired it up some. Hours later, when I was ready for bed, I went in to make it up and noticed the bed was too soft AGAIN. By now I'm a wee bit irked. I didn't want to deal with another leak. I looked around, passed my hand and arm slowly around the sides of the bed to see if I felt any air movement, and couldn't find anything. So I aired the bugger up again, made it up, and went to bed.
And heard, 'hissssssssssss.'
The puncture was at the top of the bed. By my ear. This time I found it no problem. A nice little slit and I knew exactly what had caused it: Idiot and Murmur jumping from the bed to the windowsill, or from the windowsill to the bed, had caught a claw.
Well, I'm rather the make-do sort so I figured I'd do a quick repair. Some tape over the hole should seal it, right? Right! But since the top is kinda veloury, it might not take a good hold. So I put more top over the first, crossing over the top. Then more on top of that, making an X over the + I'd already done. Good and sealed! I refreshed the air, straightened the bed, turned out the light, and went to sleep at about 11:45pm.
At 1:30 am, I woke up on the floor.
The tape wasn't a good seal, after all. But Murmur, oh, he were quite happy with the situation since HE was still sleeping on part of the mattress that still had air.
Now, mind you, my alarm is set to go off at 4am on Mondays and Wednesdays. I was tired. There was no way I could fix the bed, so I grabbed a blanket, wrapped it around me, and plopped down on the lay-out fouton in the living room. Idiot had already claimed half of it for his bed, and there was no way he was willing to give it up. Or share the cozier blanket. Apparently, when I go to bed at night, I forfeit all right to my couch or my blanket and I must make do with whatever's leftover. The damn cat just wouldn't budge!
I didn't get much sleep after that, just feel into a light doze. The bed is still flattened in my room, and Murmur was still cozily sleeping on it when I left this morning. I won't be home til late tonight since I have class, but first them I'm doing is making that fouton into a bed. A comfortable bed. It'll have to be used as one for a while because I'm not buying another air mattress for the boys to play pin cushion with.
And their punishment? No access to the windowsill in the bedroom. :-) It's too high for even THEM to jump to without their launching pad!
::yawn!::
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The Economics of Weight Loss
It's odd what concepts one encounters in various subjects can be seen as applicable in unrelated fields. Take economics and weight loss.
I don't know about other people, but when I go out to eat I tend to eat everything that I order. I know if I take it home, it won't taste as good, or I'll end up throwing it away. But, I've already spent the money and since I don't want to get full value for my money, I make sure I eat what I've paid for, regardless if I'm full halfway through the meal.
Economist would say that I'm ignoring sunk costs.
A sunk cost is a cost incurred in the past that cannot be changed by current decisions and therefore cannot be recovered. In this instance, the sunk cost is the price of the meal. Whether I eat the full meal or not, the cost is gone and I won't get it back. So, should I let this irrevocable action determine the decisions I make in the present?
I can eat the complete meal when I'm already full and it will cost me no less. I can choose not to eat the full meal, and it will cost me no less. In monetary terms.
However, economics looks are more that just money. It factors in opportunity cost. For instance, if I don't eat the full meal, what does it cost me? Perhaps dissatisfaction that I did not get my perceived full money value for the food. Therefore, my opportunity cost of eating half the meal could be equated to, say, $5-$8.
However, if I do eat the full meal when I'm no longer hungry, what is my opportunity cost? It would be discomfort from being over-full; additional calories, fat, carbs, sugar, etc.; gained weight; guilt for eating when I know I shouldn't have; increased health risks (via a cumulative effect); and the list can go on.
Economists recommend that people ignore sunk costs. It's over, it's done, it can't be undone. Do not let it affect the decisions you make now. Seen in this light, it seems clear what your decision should be when it comes to polishing off that meal, even though you're not hungry: don't do it. The opportunity cost of cleaning your plate is too high.
So next time you go out to eat and your order is placed before you, don't say to yourself, "I have to eat everything. I paid for it. I need to get my full value." Your full value will be reached when you hit equilibrium: your hunger is gone and you've enjoyed the meal. If you keep eating past that point, you're losing value because you're no longer 'satisfied.' You're overfull, courting health problems, and feeling slightly ill.
So remember! Don't let the price of the meal determine how much of it you eat! I, at least, will try to keep that in mind.
I don't know about other people, but when I go out to eat I tend to eat everything that I order. I know if I take it home, it won't taste as good, or I'll end up throwing it away. But, I've already spent the money and since I don't want to get full value for my money, I make sure I eat what I've paid for, regardless if I'm full halfway through the meal.
Economist would say that I'm ignoring sunk costs.
A sunk cost is a cost incurred in the past that cannot be changed by current decisions and therefore cannot be recovered. In this instance, the sunk cost is the price of the meal. Whether I eat the full meal or not, the cost is gone and I won't get it back. So, should I let this irrevocable action determine the decisions I make in the present?
I can eat the complete meal when I'm already full and it will cost me no less. I can choose not to eat the full meal, and it will cost me no less. In monetary terms.
However, economics looks are more that just money. It factors in opportunity cost. For instance, if I don't eat the full meal, what does it cost me? Perhaps dissatisfaction that I did not get my perceived full money value for the food. Therefore, my opportunity cost of eating half the meal could be equated to, say, $5-$8.
However, if I do eat the full meal when I'm no longer hungry, what is my opportunity cost? It would be discomfort from being over-full; additional calories, fat, carbs, sugar, etc.; gained weight; guilt for eating when I know I shouldn't have; increased health risks (via a cumulative effect); and the list can go on.
Economists recommend that people ignore sunk costs. It's over, it's done, it can't be undone. Do not let it affect the decisions you make now. Seen in this light, it seems clear what your decision should be when it comes to polishing off that meal, even though you're not hungry: don't do it. The opportunity cost of cleaning your plate is too high.
So next time you go out to eat and your order is placed before you, don't say to yourself, "I have to eat everything. I paid for it. I need to get my full value." Your full value will be reached when you hit equilibrium: your hunger is gone and you've enjoyed the meal. If you keep eating past that point, you're losing value because you're no longer 'satisfied.' You're overfull, courting health problems, and feeling slightly ill.
So remember! Don't let the price of the meal determine how much of it you eat! I, at least, will try to keep that in mind.
Words and Action. Lies and Truth.
I am so tired of the polite lie. The encouragement because it's what people think I want to hear, instead of the truth which may sting, but is what I need to hear. If the dress make me look fat, tell me. I'd rather I'm told than I go out and think I look nice when in fact I look like a barge and people view me with disgust.
I applied for a job transfer at McCrometer. Since I changed my degree to Marketing, I started looking around at my options. Working in Accounting, doing Accounts Receivable and Credit and Collections as I have for two and a half years isn't exactly in line with a Marketing degree. When I changed my major, I had a meeting with Human Resources to plan a career path for myself. The two paths open to me are Customer Service, and Marketing. Steve, the HR manager, assured me that he'd let me know when someone opened in either department. I depended on him, as the HR manager and someone assisting me with my career development, to stay true to his word.
For the second time in two years, he failed me.
Shortly after that meeting, a customer service position opened. I wasn't qualified because I wasn't bilingual. I could accept that.
In February, another customer service position opened. I applied for it since being bilingual wasn't required. I interviewed well. I have many skills that are necessary for customer service. Hell, customer service IS my job. I spend most of my time clearing up their errors. I have a unique perspective to bring to that department that no one else who applied for the position have: I understand the importance of ensuring orders are taken accurately while protecting the interests of the company, and the importance of ensuring that we have accurate customer information.
The customer service supervisor scheduled a second meeting with me to let me know her decision. Then she postponed it by a day. Come to find out, Human Resources had asked her to delay making her decision so she could consider further. With that additional time, they presented her with an candidate to interview from outside the company. This candidate had all the qualities that I had, and which had made me her top choice. There was only one difference: the other candidate had experience working in manufacturing. My only experience was the AR/Credit and Collections side of it. While she and I both put a positive spin on her decision - I do like Pam, I respect her, and I do understand that in her position she needed someone who could also start more quickly than I probably could have, since I'd have to train a replacement for myself first - I still felt betrayed by Human Resources. I had thought they were supposed to be helping me develop along the career path I had chosen. Why had they deliberately sabotaged me? If the only difference between me and the other candidate was manufacturing experience...please. They'd still have to go through the full product training that I'd have to do. There wouldn't have been that much difference.
Two years ago, I had applied for another position in the company - in Human Resources, as well. At the time I was turn down for that position, I was told by Steve that he would assist me in developing my skills in that area, he would involve me in planning committees for various events. It was only words, and no follow through. I've never been included in any of those committees.
Now apparently Steve's assurances that he would assist me in my career path are also proven to be words and lies, not actions and truth.
I like working at McCrometer. I've been there two and a half years, which is a record for me. It's still one of the better places I've worked. I like my manager. I never wake up dreading the thought of going to work - and usually after a year there are some mornings where I feel that way. I respect and like Kerry, the CEO. He has a management style that I think should be emulated by more people.
I don't particularly care for my VP, since his management styles seems to be completely at odds with the other VPs and he insists on maintaining a distance from the department that definitely makes me feel that I'm nothing more than a name on a spreadsheet to him. I doubt he actually knows my name on the rare occasions he sees me walking down a hall. I definitely know that he puts no store in my recommendations and suggestions when it comes to my job.
It's frustrating to want to grow, learn, do more and find that the door is being constantly closed in my face. There's no room for growth in my current position, and that means no room for significantly increased pay. The one opportunity for growth in my department was slammed resoundingly shut before I really knew it was there. The next logical step from my position was Accountant when Michelle moved to another position. They decided immediately to hire from outside the company. The woman they hired has a bachelors, yes - but not in accounting. And she annoys the hell out of me. She seems to think she's in charge of the rest of us, and that's just not the case.
As much as I like the company, between my manager and Human Resources, I've gotten the hint. There's no future for me unless I want to keep doing what I'm now doing for the rest of my life. Well, I don't want to. The pay is shit. I've done the research. It is not nearly what it should be for this area, for my experience, and with my education. Compensating for the pay is the people and company - I like them both (mostly). I consider many of my coworkers aquaintance-friends.
However, I can't live like this indefinitely. I've decided that I'm definitely NOT taking advantage of the tuition reimbursement package the company offers. If I did, I would be obligated to stay for two years after I get my degree. Personally I feel that's unreasonable since McCrometer didn't provide tuition reimbursement for the first half of my education. Regardless, as the company has made clear, there's no future for me there so I'll not obligate myself to stay beyond the point getting my degree. I have to think of myself, my needs, my wants, and my family. I came to California because it was the best choice I had that would let me stay in school. Once that goal is accomplished....::shrug:: I'll miss McCrometer, and I'm sure I'll never find a company like it again. However, it's been a year and a half since I've seen my family. My mother isn't in the best health. My neices and nephews don't remember what I look like. I miss my dad. I need to go home, or a job that lets me visit more often. California and McCrometer aren't going to give me that.
I hate it, too. I really do like working for this company, but I no longer have any faith that I've found the place where I can work and stay. For all the claims that the company cares about associates and prefers to promote from within, I've found the truth in the actions. The actions clearly state that they'd prefer to hire from without rather than give their associates the opportunities to grow. And hell - if they can hire an accountant for $50-$70K a year, why the hell can't they pay me a wage that's fair? Yeah, I'm sure about that pay rate, too. If the company didn't want us to know, they shouldn't have advertised the job outside the company. We found it when we started wondering why there wasn't an internal posting.
It's been a week or two since I was turned down for the customer service position. It's been festering. I needed to vent. Maybe it'll stop festering now, though I doubt it. It still feels too much like a betrayal. It definitely confirms that I can't trust Steve.
I applied for a job transfer at McCrometer. Since I changed my degree to Marketing, I started looking around at my options. Working in Accounting, doing Accounts Receivable and Credit and Collections as I have for two and a half years isn't exactly in line with a Marketing degree. When I changed my major, I had a meeting with Human Resources to plan a career path for myself. The two paths open to me are Customer Service, and Marketing. Steve, the HR manager, assured me that he'd let me know when someone opened in either department. I depended on him, as the HR manager and someone assisting me with my career development, to stay true to his word.
For the second time in two years, he failed me.
Shortly after that meeting, a customer service position opened. I wasn't qualified because I wasn't bilingual. I could accept that.
In February, another customer service position opened. I applied for it since being bilingual wasn't required. I interviewed well. I have many skills that are necessary for customer service. Hell, customer service IS my job. I spend most of my time clearing up their errors. I have a unique perspective to bring to that department that no one else who applied for the position have: I understand the importance of ensuring orders are taken accurately while protecting the interests of the company, and the importance of ensuring that we have accurate customer information.
The customer service supervisor scheduled a second meeting with me to let me know her decision. Then she postponed it by a day. Come to find out, Human Resources had asked her to delay making her decision so she could consider further. With that additional time, they presented her with an candidate to interview from outside the company. This candidate had all the qualities that I had, and which had made me her top choice. There was only one difference: the other candidate had experience working in manufacturing. My only experience was the AR/Credit and Collections side of it. While she and I both put a positive spin on her decision - I do like Pam, I respect her, and I do understand that in her position she needed someone who could also start more quickly than I probably could have, since I'd have to train a replacement for myself first - I still felt betrayed by Human Resources. I had thought they were supposed to be helping me develop along the career path I had chosen. Why had they deliberately sabotaged me? If the only difference between me and the other candidate was manufacturing experience...please. They'd still have to go through the full product training that I'd have to do. There wouldn't have been that much difference.
Two years ago, I had applied for another position in the company - in Human Resources, as well. At the time I was turn down for that position, I was told by Steve that he would assist me in developing my skills in that area, he would involve me in planning committees for various events. It was only words, and no follow through. I've never been included in any of those committees.
Now apparently Steve's assurances that he would assist me in my career path are also proven to be words and lies, not actions and truth.
I like working at McCrometer. I've been there two and a half years, which is a record for me. It's still one of the better places I've worked. I like my manager. I never wake up dreading the thought of going to work - and usually after a year there are some mornings where I feel that way. I respect and like Kerry, the CEO. He has a management style that I think should be emulated by more people.
I don't particularly care for my VP, since his management styles seems to be completely at odds with the other VPs and he insists on maintaining a distance from the department that definitely makes me feel that I'm nothing more than a name on a spreadsheet to him. I doubt he actually knows my name on the rare occasions he sees me walking down a hall. I definitely know that he puts no store in my recommendations and suggestions when it comes to my job.
It's frustrating to want to grow, learn, do more and find that the door is being constantly closed in my face. There's no room for growth in my current position, and that means no room for significantly increased pay. The one opportunity for growth in my department was slammed resoundingly shut before I really knew it was there. The next logical step from my position was Accountant when Michelle moved to another position. They decided immediately to hire from outside the company. The woman they hired has a bachelors, yes - but not in accounting. And she annoys the hell out of me. She seems to think she's in charge of the rest of us, and that's just not the case.
As much as I like the company, between my manager and Human Resources, I've gotten the hint. There's no future for me unless I want to keep doing what I'm now doing for the rest of my life. Well, I don't want to. The pay is shit. I've done the research. It is not nearly what it should be for this area, for my experience, and with my education. Compensating for the pay is the people and company - I like them both (mostly). I consider many of my coworkers aquaintance-friends.
However, I can't live like this indefinitely. I've decided that I'm definitely NOT taking advantage of the tuition reimbursement package the company offers. If I did, I would be obligated to stay for two years after I get my degree. Personally I feel that's unreasonable since McCrometer didn't provide tuition reimbursement for the first half of my education. Regardless, as the company has made clear, there's no future for me there so I'll not obligate myself to stay beyond the point getting my degree. I have to think of myself, my needs, my wants, and my family. I came to California because it was the best choice I had that would let me stay in school. Once that goal is accomplished....::shrug:: I'll miss McCrometer, and I'm sure I'll never find a company like it again. However, it's been a year and a half since I've seen my family. My mother isn't in the best health. My neices and nephews don't remember what I look like. I miss my dad. I need to go home, or a job that lets me visit more often. California and McCrometer aren't going to give me that.
I hate it, too. I really do like working for this company, but I no longer have any faith that I've found the place where I can work and stay. For all the claims that the company cares about associates and prefers to promote from within, I've found the truth in the actions. The actions clearly state that they'd prefer to hire from without rather than give their associates the opportunities to grow. And hell - if they can hire an accountant for $50-$70K a year, why the hell can't they pay me a wage that's fair? Yeah, I'm sure about that pay rate, too. If the company didn't want us to know, they shouldn't have advertised the job outside the company. We found it when we started wondering why there wasn't an internal posting.
It's been a week or two since I was turned down for the customer service position. It's been festering. I needed to vent. Maybe it'll stop festering now, though I doubt it. It still feels too much like a betrayal. It definitely confirms that I can't trust Steve.
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