Misfit Monday

It's Spring Break!

This means that quite a few of our misfits are out of the office.  That means the remaining misfits are very busy and so I won't make fun of them. 

One quick funny story.  The following is a phone conversation between me and one of our cleaning misfits.   A customer who he had done a clean for the day before was calling him.

Misfit:  I think that someone gave out my phone number to one of our customers, could you please not give out my phone number?

Me:  We did not give out your phone number.  Did you happen to call her when you were on the way to her house?

Misfit:  Well, yeah.

Me:  So, she probably has your phone number on her caller id.  

Misfit:  Oh yeah.  That's probably how she got it.

Silly misfit.

Here is a picture Mac trying to steal (or maybe just look at) Buttin's phone.

Misfit Monday

For the most part, we have patient, reasonable  customers.  This post is not about those customers.

We have some (thankfully very few) customers who take advantage of us.  

Say for example, a customer calls and orders X.  We do X.  Then they call back and say they ordered Y.  We have no way to prove they ordered X (although I'm about 95% sure they did) and OF COURSE,  Y is cheaper than X.  We have to eat the cost.   There's really no way to win this argument except we're now making certain customers email all orders.

Here is Cash today climbing on a pole.

You'll notice his black "leash".  He now loves to be taken for a walk while I hold onto his leash.  We get some strange looks.

Misfit Monday

Roaches! Roaches! Roaches!

I hate roaches. 

A large colony seemed to have set up camp in my office and it's horrible.

Let me set the scene. 

Me in a  semi-dark room, feeding PupPup - I spot a roach crawling across my keyboard.  I'm paralyzed.  I  can't scream, I can't jump up and smash it - all I can do is watch and see where it goes in the hopes that I'll be able to put Mac in his bed and quietly scream for Buttin (or anyone, really). 

My office contains about  fifteen roach motels (those things that give them poison - I'm not ashamed - I am not for the ethical destruction of roaches) and I've sprayed (with the all natural spray - that's supposedly safe for people and animals, but kills roaches and smells like pine-lemon butthole), but they're still crawling everywhere.  Two today, so far. 

Brandi (very sweet, wonderful misfit who I will always be indebted to) has helped me clean my office (and she kills the roaches when Buttin isn't available) - TWICE.    Of course, while we (mostly Brandi) were cleaning we spotted ZERO roaches.  

To make matters worse, I now see roaches all the time - even when they're not there.   Stupid eyes playing tricks on me.  I was really hoping all my (Brandi's) cleaning would help get rid of the roaches, but it only seemed to keep them away for a couple of days.  I'm not sure what to do now - maybe call a professional.  I can't work in this hostile environment.  

Here is Cashman in his favorite environment - playing with trains.

Misfit Monday

Our misfits are so dramatic. Buttin has to play dad/referee to many adults who are older than he is.  I like to think of all this as training for one day having teenagers, but  I don't think our children will ever be as bad as our misfits. 

I'm sure Cash will thank me one day for this picture - here he is peeing "like a big boy".

Misfit Monday

For the next several months foreseeable future, I will be at least a day behind.

We have lots of exciting happenings at work and most of the misfits are contributing in very positive ways that are making US even more excited about work.  It's good to be re-energized about work.

We officially have a 2nd location for our retail division and that makes Buttin super happy.  I always get nervous about growth and risk, but this is a pretty small risk and it has a ton of potential.

  

Misfit Monday

Last week we had goal planning meetings with our sales misfits.  I was pretty impressed with their goals (one of them wants to be fluent in Spanish). 

Here are some of my goals for the year (personal and work related):

• Once Chicken starts school, take at least one day off every couple of months to just be alone.
• Once Chicken starts school, take one day off a quarter and keep Cub out of school and spend the day with him - just a mommy and Cubbie day.
• Once Chicken starts school, I will go see movies during the day with Buttin. 
• Try to be more understanding with our installers. 
• I will let go of all the unimportant stuff and most of the stuff is unimportant. 
• Allow myself to be still.  

I have other goals, but it's time to go feed PupPup.

Here are Cub and PupPup today - Cash is pretending to blow away (it was windy out) and Mac is sneezing.

 

Misfit Monday

One day late . . .

It's just going to be a crazy work week (not to mention regular mom duties).

Buttin and I have a big presentation tomorrow morning so Mormor and Dadoo are coming into town tonight so that they can stay with Mac-man.  Thank goodness they don't live too far away and are retired.  

Here are Cub and PupPup (what I've started to call Mac, kind of consistently) talking yesterday at the park.

Misfit Monday Interrupted

Today's misfit Monday is being interrupted.  

Mostly because I don't really have anything work related to write about; however, today is HAPPY THREE WEEK Birthday to Mac!

I was really trying to get his birth story finished, but Mac is going through his grouchy phase of infancy and he just really wants to be held.  This makes it difficult to type efficiently.

Here is Mac-man showing off his eight chins.  He's probably not going to be the next Gerber Baby.

Misfit Monday

All day yesterday I kept telling Chicken to stay put.

I had a ton of work to do today.  I finished most of it, so now I'm a little less stressed about Chicken's arrival and work.

Last night Chicken was doing back flips on my bladder and I didn't sleep well, so it's time to go to bed.

Here's Cub giving me a serious look today while getting gas (or as he calls it "grass"). 

Misfit Monday

Buttin texted me last week.   

We had the first mystery solved by our video cameras.

One of our installers (we'll call him installer A) told Buttin that he thought another installer (we'll call him installer B) had taken his drill.  The video showed definitive proof that installer B's helper had, in fact, taken the drill.

Here is the exact telephone conversation.

Buttin:  So, installer B - do you know where installer A's drill is?

Installer B:  Nope.

Buttin:  Well, why don't you ask your helper.

Installer B:  He says he doesn't see it.

Buttin:  Well, I'm looking a monitor right now and it is showing your helper putting installer A's drill into your truck.

Installer B:  Wait, let me check.  Yup, it's here  - I found it.

Mystery solved!!

Here is our holiday card!  It's pretty exciting (and silly).   

Misfit Monday

Right now we are spending a lot of time getting ready for the end of the year - holiday gifts and cards seem to be the biggest priorities for the misfits.  

We're all having some fun.

Here's Cub today playing outside wearing a borrowed pair of pants (he peed on his clothes at school, but at least he was trying to go to the bathroom by himself). 

Misfit Monday

Today we all took pictures for our misfit Holiday Card - we did individual pictures wearing the same sweater.   Here are a couple outtakes.

Most of the misfits did better than Buttin and I did. 

Here's Cub today - I think the look on his face is hilarious.

One of our misfits has given me a couple hand-me-down toys for Chicken.  Guess who found the toys and can't stop playing with them??!!

Misfit Monday

It feels weird that next week is Thanksgiving.  I'm still a little in denial that Chicken's arrival is only about a month away.  Thankfully, all the misfits are being very supportive and helpful. 

We're getting everything ready for our company holiday gifts.  In the next couple of weeks, my aunt and I will be making pounds and pounds of fudge.  I will try to only eat a pound or so of fudge.  

Speaking of yummy things to eat, Cash man and I tried to decorate a gingerbread house.  It doesn't look very yummy (or pretty), but he had a good time concentrating on his work (for about 30 seconds).

Misfit Monday

Every Monday we have a sales meeting.

Every so often, we actually talk about sales.  

Most sales meetings quickly derail into very odd conversations.

Last week, one misfit came up with a holiday photo card idea.  Conversation quickly moved to awkward family photos and we spent the rest of the meeting trying to find the perfect company photo card idea. 

I put one misfit in charge of the photo.  If it all comes together - it should be pretty funny - at least to us. 

This afternoon when Cub and I got home, he took the house key (I help him unlock the door) and threw it off the top of the front porch and onto the yard.  The key was by itself  (so very difficult to find) and I was still unloading the car when he threw it, so I had no idea where it landed.

When I ask Cub where he threw the key - his response was:  "It Be Somewhere".  

This is the look on his face as we're searching.  

Eventually, Cub got a great idea on how to help me find the key.  It's a key-finding-stick.

The stick did not help me find the key (and Buttin was picking up someone from the airport, so he was about 1.5 hours from home) and we had been searching for about 20 minutes. 

Then, I thought of a brilliant scientific experiment.  I made Cub stand in the exact place where he threw the key and told him to throw acorns.  I stood below to see where the acorn hit the ground.  On the fourth try, the acorn hit the key.  This might have been luck, but I prefer to think of it as science. 

Misfit Monday

Today we are thankful for healthy, safe misfits.

A couple misfits got into a car accident today (they were together), but they were released quickly from the hospital with some minor cuts and bruises.  I'm sure they'll be sore tomorrow, but they were very fortunate for a roll-over collision.  

We also had another misfit who was kind of missing last week and who returned today from wherever he was.  

Here is Cashman today testing out part of his costume.  He really likes the wings.

Misfit Monday

This week (on Thursday) we're having a huge office cleaning day.  I hope all the misfits don't decide to take the day off.  I think the misfits are blaming this big cleaning day idea on my nesting.  I'm definitely feeling the need to clean, organize and throw away stuff.

Today we got a new dog house for Riggs.  Cubbie had to check it out to make sure it was suitable for Riggs. 

Misfit Monday

The sales misfits have decided they'd like to "redecorate" their office.  I say "redecorate" even though it's never really been decorated, unless you count random cork boards, carpet samples and plaques hanging from the walls.

Here are the two most popular ideas so far:

1. A large, conference-type table (and then everyone just sits at the table) and some filing cabinets. 
2. A couple couches,  tv trays (as desks) and some filing cabinets.  

I'm also just throwing it out there, but I think bean bags and lava lamps might be a good option too.

Here's Cash today - in case you can't tell - he's fishing (for apples).  He's cute, but not very good at catching apples. 

 

Misfit Monday

Some of the misfits have been experience a streak of bad luck, so it's difficult to make fun of them right now.  

Buttin (along with some other misfits) are attending our final trade show of the year.  We don't do very much for this trade show, so there won't be any fun pictures. 

Mormor left today, but not before she had a chance to dress Cub in this awesome outfit.  I think is Cash is saying, "Please don't take a picture of me looking like this - my Mormor is obviously color blind."

Misfit Monday

Trade show was a great success.  We got 2nd Place (again), but our nurses were the most popular attraction at the show.  

I'm really happy it's over.

It seems as though all the misfit misbehavior that was put on hold while we were preparing for the trade show is now back in full force.  Where to begin?  Car accident, showing up stinky for a job, bickering, and complaining - seem to be common things this week.  Oh well - all things considered, Buttin and I are actually in pretty good moods.

Here is Cubbie today telling me how to drive - he's saying "Go, Mama, Go!".

Misfit Monday

I think all misfits were wearing underpants today, maybe.

I did have to remind everyone to make sure to wear underpants on Thursday for the trade show.

Speaking of the trade show, posting will be someone sparse this week as I help our misfits prepare for it. 

Here is Cubbie today playing on the trail.  To me, he is perfection.