Day Before The Holiday
Day Before the Holiday
Today is the day before the 4th of July Holiday and I have a class to teach tonight. I know I will have a less than great attendance in my class tonight.
Last night’s class was poor for attendance. I lost another student for excessive absences; he will be dropped sometime this week. He was doing well and, for some unknown reason, has dropped out. I have another student who is a female. I think she is just lazy and lacks the maturity necessary to succeed in a college level course. She has made it to one class in four weeks. I think it is unlikely that she will be able to pass the course.
I know it is difficult to go to school at night after working all day long and having family responsibilities. I earned my law degree, my masters’ degree in administration, and my masters’ of business administration while I was working 45 to 50 hours a week and participating in the family. I know, therefore, that it can be done with determination.
Road Construction
I think I typed too early about the road construction being finished. The work crew has started on another section of the road further east of my building. They have torn up one lane of traffic and started on rebuilding the subsurface structure of the road.
If their speed of work progresses at the same rate, they will be working on the road until after Labor Day [first Monday in September]. Then, they will get around to repainting the lane markers near my house.
This has been such an inconvenience for me. I have to change my driving patterns to avoid the construction and dust and noise.
On the plus side, there may be fewer ambulances driving past my building on their way to the hospital because of the construction delays and only one lane of traffic. That is a nice side benefit of the construction I guess.
My Market
The local market that I have been going to is in the middle of a remodeling project. I have no idea how long it will take to complete.
One of my students in my Introduction to Project Management course works for the market company and works in the store remodeling section. We have had some discussions about the project. Work is being done mostly at night although some work goes on during the day.
My student said the company used to close a market for a month and a half or so and do the remodeling quickly. Now, the company will do the remodeling work while the store is open. The work process will obviously take longer and the customers will be inconvenienced more and for a longer time.
At least with the complete shut down, the customers know that everything will be back to where it was before and that thing will be made better. Under this approach, aisles are moved and food available for sale on the shelves is less, the selections are more limited. There is the on-going construction noise to deal with as well as the torn up floors.
I can see why the company wants to take the work in process approach. They are earning some incremental revenue as not all customers will go somewhere else to shop for food and supplies. They do not have workers drawing a paycheck while not doing any productive work.
I don’t think things are going well at the market though.
This morning when I went to the market, I was greeted, as I walked in the front door, by a loud exchange between the store manage and someone who was with the construction firm about how a display should have been arranged. The manager was complaining that the display was not the way he wanted it. He said, “I told you how I wanted the display to look and it is not here,” or words to that affect.
Typical incompetent management trick, blame some lower level worker for the failure.
The manager could have given written instructions with maybe a diagram so the workers could understand what he wanted. Of course, the store manager could have been at the store and personally provided guidance and suggestions.
That’s what a competent manager would have done.
Then, I moved on and began my weekly hunt for my food and supplies. With the store in a constant state of flux, it is challenge to find everything.
I first noticed a group of contractors standing next to a cut in the cement floor. There were four or five big bellied men standing next to the cut in the floor, looking down at one worker in the piping trench.
I have a theory about construction workers. The bigger their bellies, the more senior they are in the company and project supervision. Using my theory, it looks like most of the on-site construction management was concerned with what was or wasn’t happening in the piping trench.
For the record, I was able to find about 70% of what I wanted to buy today. I can get by with what I purchased. If I get truly desperate, I can go to a closer, local market that is not having any remodeling going on and find what I need.
Woman of the Moment
I think most of you or at least the long term readers of the blog know that tattoos are women are not very exciting to me. I believe that tattoos belong on sailors and marines.
The current Woman of the Moment, Jessica Vincent, has tattoos, a string of stylized stars, on her back. Strangely, I did not find these tattoos to be objectionable in my mind. They seem to work well for her and in the image.
Maybe I am changing a little and mellowing out somewhat.
Be well and stay happy.
Today is the day before the 4th of July Holiday and I have a class to teach tonight. I know I will have a less than great attendance in my class tonight.
Last night’s class was poor for attendance. I lost another student for excessive absences; he will be dropped sometime this week. He was doing well and, for some unknown reason, has dropped out. I have another student who is a female. I think she is just lazy and lacks the maturity necessary to succeed in a college level course. She has made it to one class in four weeks. I think it is unlikely that she will be able to pass the course.
I know it is difficult to go to school at night after working all day long and having family responsibilities. I earned my law degree, my masters’ degree in administration, and my masters’ of business administration while I was working 45 to 50 hours a week and participating in the family. I know, therefore, that it can be done with determination.
Road Construction
I think I typed too early about the road construction being finished. The work crew has started on another section of the road further east of my building. They have torn up one lane of traffic and started on rebuilding the subsurface structure of the road.
If their speed of work progresses at the same rate, they will be working on the road until after Labor Day [first Monday in September]. Then, they will get around to repainting the lane markers near my house.
This has been such an inconvenience for me. I have to change my driving patterns to avoid the construction and dust and noise.
On the plus side, there may be fewer ambulances driving past my building on their way to the hospital because of the construction delays and only one lane of traffic. That is a nice side benefit of the construction I guess.
My Market
The local market that I have been going to is in the middle of a remodeling project. I have no idea how long it will take to complete.
One of my students in my Introduction to Project Management course works for the market company and works in the store remodeling section. We have had some discussions about the project. Work is being done mostly at night although some work goes on during the day.
My student said the company used to close a market for a month and a half or so and do the remodeling quickly. Now, the company will do the remodeling work while the store is open. The work process will obviously take longer and the customers will be inconvenienced more and for a longer time.
At least with the complete shut down, the customers know that everything will be back to where it was before and that thing will be made better. Under this approach, aisles are moved and food available for sale on the shelves is less, the selections are more limited. There is the on-going construction noise to deal with as well as the torn up floors.
I can see why the company wants to take the work in process approach. They are earning some incremental revenue as not all customers will go somewhere else to shop for food and supplies. They do not have workers drawing a paycheck while not doing any productive work.
I don’t think things are going well at the market though.
This morning when I went to the market, I was greeted, as I walked in the front door, by a loud exchange between the store manage and someone who was with the construction firm about how a display should have been arranged. The manager was complaining that the display was not the way he wanted it. He said, “I told you how I wanted the display to look and it is not here,” or words to that affect.
Typical incompetent management trick, blame some lower level worker for the failure.
The manager could have given written instructions with maybe a diagram so the workers could understand what he wanted. Of course, the store manager could have been at the store and personally provided guidance and suggestions.
That’s what a competent manager would have done.
Then, I moved on and began my weekly hunt for my food and supplies. With the store in a constant state of flux, it is challenge to find everything.
I first noticed a group of contractors standing next to a cut in the cement floor. There were four or five big bellied men standing next to the cut in the floor, looking down at one worker in the piping trench.
I have a theory about construction workers. The bigger their bellies, the more senior they are in the company and project supervision. Using my theory, it looks like most of the on-site construction management was concerned with what was or wasn’t happening in the piping trench.
For the record, I was able to find about 70% of what I wanted to buy today. I can get by with what I purchased. If I get truly desperate, I can go to a closer, local market that is not having any remodeling going on and find what I need.
Woman of the Moment
I think most of you or at least the long term readers of the blog know that tattoos are women are not very exciting to me. I believe that tattoos belong on sailors and marines.
The current Woman of the Moment, Jessica Vincent, has tattoos, a string of stylized stars, on her back. Strangely, I did not find these tattoos to be objectionable in my mind. They seem to work well for her and in the image.
Maybe I am changing a little and mellowing out somewhat.
Be well and stay happy.
posted by Chuck Reinhardt at 11:37 AM
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