Short post on the shortness of posts here

2.5 things have been/are going on that are quite responsible for not posting at all here for some months:

I love work. Not all of it is enjoyed, but there is so much stuff that really is useful to do and I get to do and get payd to, as well as earn the approval of almost all of my co workers, which means much to me. I am not diagnosed with autism, but the description of the term “hyperfixation” sounds accurate to alot of this. I took something home on Friday, after staying way late to work on other things, because it didn’t get done and is time-limited. More on that, I hope, soon for you.

I am in process of purchasing a house to live in. The apartment I moved to almost 1 year ago is passable but not great, its landlord is disengaged and disinterested in it. The last one tried to be/appear interested in repair and improvement of their property. I have a place pickt out, have made an offer that was accepted, and am working with my finance institution to get the mortgage performed, contract signed, other things found out. I have a really good real estate agent (who is also a “realtor”) that has made this process much clearer/safer.

The remaining “half” is the constant tiredness annoyance that I think is psychiatric, because it certainly started there.

Defuse meth cookers by making them angry at the government

Back in 2019, for some forgotten reason, I was reading about methamphetamine (“meth”) labs and ended up at the website of a company, “Appriss”, that brokers data about purchases of a well known precursor substance pseudoephedrine “PSE” sold over the counter at pharmacies and other places.

Automatic (?) truncation ruins a sale

Filtering through some long-ago crap at work some years ago, I found VHSes of subjects that were long ago filed and forgotten. One of them was entituled “The Attitude Virus”, meant to warn office workers about how they could ruin their work environment by bad attitudes that affect others. Made by CRM Films, here is the title screen:

The Attitude Virus / Curing Negativity in the Workplace / Government Version

CRM films still exists as CRM Learning, now bought by “Media Partners”, and they still make these sorts of things, though their website doesn’t seem to like the currently current (84.0) version of Firefox.

A test of, at minimum, honor or honesty

This is about current day (late summer 2020) politics in the United States. It does not have personal hatred to any one or any thing in it, but if you want to be forewarned before reading on the subject, now you can be.

A name for a newish crime

A very malicious type of crime in the United States, and maybe elsewhere, is to telephone a false report of a crazed gunman at someone’s house to the emergency service dispatchers (9-1-1). The police then respond expecting a hostile attacker, and instead freak out the quiet lives at said house or worse.

A news report on the subject, that I can’t find now, mentioned that there is not a specific charge for this type of domestic terrorizm, so charges are usually “making a false report” or “obstructing government administration”.

In New York State, the Penal Law defines various crimes against the common government, like defrauding the government and corrupting the government. I propose that the manipulation of public employees or functions so they risk harming someone as they do their duty be made the crime of “weaponizing the government”.

I tend to spend too much time at work

but I like it!! There is useful work to do, and work that is useful and appeals to my (unofficial) OCD.

I, civil servant III

SO! After well over the original time of 1 year (52 weeks per the form), I got permanency in my title. Essentially I have proved that I am worth keeping. This is similar in effect to “tenure”, but is more a protection from improper politiqual influence than protection of uneasy research ideas.

In a few months, I can start the process for obtaining my professional license, which – when done – entituls me to the next title in the ladder. This will restart the process of 52 weeks of uncertainty.

No, not really…

I have not abandoned the blogging, but have been very busy with the volunteering and work. What a change from the bad old times at the previous agencia. This one is enjoyable and entertaining (often) and ultimately useful to me because I can be useful to it in its purpose.

I do have ideas and pictures and things, I just need the time and memory to put them here.

What Fifty Boys did in and before 1919

I decided to go back to the old photographs of older library matter from “college days”. Here is something I found entertaining from the July 19, 1919 Literary Digest.

Markdown and WordPress lost some of the footnotes.

I, civil servant II

Although I don’t think I had mentioned it, but can’t remember (which shows what comes of leaving your blog alone for too long), I had been for some time looking for a new posting in the State service. To my enjoyment, last Thursday it came true.

I am now posted to the Health Department as an engineer, environmental. This difference is quite significant for me, as the old one (civil) wasn’t what I went to school for and made me feel out of place.¹

In this case, good things did come to those who waited, since I was passed over for one position further north, but made a good enough impression to be recommended by those interviewers for a new position open closer to where I was working already. An interview and some paper shuffling on their part and I was offered the position!

Now I get to go through another year long probational period, but all told I think it will be a nice one. I no longer have a half-office but a full cubicle in the back of the back of a building that houses another State function. Not bad, only there is no way to open the windows and get fresh air, but I can survive I think (:

Your author.

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1. Note that my co workers and supervision did not contribute to this problem, only the my self. ↩