SooooOOOoo happy it's here. 

as the NOHelpDesk....and good lord its irritating when they try to explain shiznit to me...DUDE I'M TIER 3 LEVEL SUPPORT AS IN i WALK CIRCLES AROUND YOU.  Do not mansplain how my database applications work to me or how they should be installed.  I will box you around your ears with your badge and lanyard.  

My week sucks. I lost a dear, dear friend to liver cancer this morning. EFF OFF to cancer. She and her husband were THE perfect couple. He will be completely lost without her for a time.

I also have various family members in the hospital, being treated at a hospital, or otherwise dealing with serious conditions, including my own DH. But I don't have to do an EFF OFF to insurance this week because he was finally approved for treatment!

I love learning about fish. Didn't have much of it as a kid, other than the frozen sticks in a box. But my grandmother used to serve fish cakes for breakfast. I remember it packed in a can, then she shaped the patties and fried them. Very salty but I loved them. Pretty sure it was cod. Haven't thought about that in years and haven't looked for those cans in a long time.

Ugh. Estrogen overload in my office today. Why do men have the bro code but women are so mean to each other. Women need to learn to hold each other up like men do with their "bros".

MMMMM - fish and seafood in general. Love it. I eat more fish than meat most weeks. I have been hitting a lot of salmon and red snapper lately but I do miss the lake fish from the midwest. Walleye! Hell, I'd even take some perch.

I feel you.

We just found an accounting error that no one, not even finance caught for TWO YEARS RUNNNING. Why? Because our systems cannot handle the cost adjustment automatically and it's a completely manual process. To tell the truth, I missed it too in the terms of this budget because I didn't create the budget in the first place and really, I missed it. But it was ALSO on the other TWO groups (ahem - FINANCE) that ultimately should have caught it over a year ago when it was a $250 correction. Now it's a $4K correction!  Luckily I adjusted this year's budget accordingly rather quickly.

FISH - I love it!  Love it. All kinds. Sushi, baked, fried, roasted, pan seared. My 100000% favorite? Half a side of Pacific salmon laid on foil (or straight on the grill or on a cedar plank), bright salmon red, drizzled with olive oil, add salt, pepper and LOTS of dill. Put on the BBQ for 15-20 min - do not overcook!  Serve with red potatoes, asparagus and a lovely pinot gris or pinot noir.

So now I am craving fish and chips....

Ditto for Cullen skink - a Scottish speciality made from smoked haddock ( the real stuff, not that dyed orange crap), potatoes, milk,water, onion. It's somewhere between a soup and a stew.

I'm also very fond of cod in cheddar sauce. I like it in parsley sauce too.

Eff0ff:  Eff0ff to corporate insanity.

I shared on last week's Eff0ff that my new #2 lost his proverbial sh!t when he perceived a question from a higher up to be a direct assault on his reputation and competence. It wasn't. It was merely a question and recommendation.  The backstory is that we had an equipment failure a few weeks ago. We have been attempting to get it returned to the OEM for an RMA and failure analysis. To do that, the OEM has to provide us with the routing information... nope. No response after several contacts and some escalation.

My #2 got angry, had an anxiety crisis, vented that his mental health was in jeopardy because he feels like my "assistant" and he had to leave. He may or may not be back. As he was leaving... I asked him if I should expect a call from anyone (HR, comapny execs, my boss, etc..). He said no. Within a few minutes of his running off to preserve his mental health my boss IM'd me asking what was up with my #2. I told my boss that #2 had walked out indicating he might not be back.  My boss got very angry at my #2.  This is my second #2 with medicated psych/anxiety issues.  

So, why weirder?  I got a call yesterday that my former #2 had been removed from his current role due to customer mandate about his agression and instability. SURPRISE!  My new #2 is being moved to lead that organization. He really is the best choice for it.  

Guess what. Three guesses and first two don't count.

They tried to force me to take my last batshit crazy #2 back.  Nope. I outlined the why, highlighted that my organization would destabilize nearly immediately, and that the customer relationship would take possibly a fatal blow.

The company tried to tell me that there was not any record of inpropriety with my former #2. I had to remind them of the fact taht he had been investigated for multiple complaints from others in the company and was within a very short time of being eleminated from the facility by the owner.

There was a lot of pressure, I held my ground... I presented my plan. Was told no. Then today, I was asked for the resume of my recommended promotion candidate to backfill my #2 who will be starting his new role on Monday.

The Sr. company leadership verified what I counseled and ... apparently my former #2 will not be back.

That was close. 

F0rn:  Anike wants fish.  Wed nigh we went to our local sushi place for sashimi. Great as usual.  Spicy garlic edemame, salmon & crab "stuffed tomato" roll, yellow tail and jalapeno shashimi (our absolute favorite), salmon, mackerel, escolar, scalops, and smelt roe sashimi, and lettuce/spicy salmon/crab wraps.

Amazing as usual.

Have a great weekend STalkers.

Please wish me luck next week with my #2 seat empty. I am looking forward to calm and a mental illness free leadership team for the first time in well over a year. It looks like my recomendation to promote one of my other managers into the #2 seat may just fly. He will be outstanding and the team performance will get even better.

Have a great weekend STalkers. Have fun.

I've forgotten what was annoying me on Friday.

F0rn

I'm not a big fish person but I love the smoked salmon that my mother sends me for my birthday.  I have it on brown soda bread with butter with fresh lemon juice squeezed over the top.