Finally finished.

"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94) 08/31/2016 at 10:51 • Filed to: None

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Being good at stuff you hate really sucks. That is all.

Beauville for your time because BEST VAN EVAR.

I SO should have bought ours off my dad when I had the chance.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 10:54

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Being terrible at something you really hate, but have to do anyway sucks WAY more.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/31/2016 at 11:01

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Disagree. Being good at something you hate is worse because it always turns into “That x you did turned out great, would you mind doing y” FUCKING NO

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/31/2016 at 11:02

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Basically this when it’s something you hate

If it’s something you like of course, you couldn’t pick a stupider tactic

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/31/2016 at 11:05

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It depends on whether you being bad at something ever causes people to stop making you do it. If you’re good at something you hate, people continually want you to continue doing it. The worst, worst possible situation is to have something you’re bad at which is similar enough to something you’re good at that people can’t figure out not to make you do it, and you keep doing it over and over even though you have to do it under enormous stress and screw up a significant portion of the time.

ASK ME HOW I KNOW

Hammerdown > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 11:07

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We had a Beauville when I was growing up. With the 6.2 diesel. Took us to Yellowstone and all of our other family trips and moved me to college a couple of times. After I moved in it was my Daily Driver until I returned it to my dad. I made great money driving my drunk friends around. I think the most I had was 12 people in it at once. I miss it dearly.

Ash78, voting early and often > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 11:08

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How about being mediocre at stuff you hate, but you have to keep doing it because it pays the bills? Wait, that's most people in the workplace. I swear, some jobs (especially in data or engineering) are purely set up for failure because you need 99-100% accuracy. Non-quantitative jobs are okay with 60%-80% accuracy. Sometimes I miss that. /data analyst

TheRealBicycleBuck > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 11:11

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In my situation it’s something I’m not good at, it’s something I hate, it’s something I have to do anyway, and it’s something that some people complain about because they know I’m not good at it and I don’t meet their expectations.... The solution is to get better at it, but since I hate doing it I have little incentive to improve except to stop the complaints.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 11:12

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A star for Calvin.

TheRealBicycleBuck > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2016 at 11:15

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Even worse is having to do it, constantly screwing it up, and fielding the complaints from the people who want you to be successful at it and who keep giving vague advice in hopes that I will improve but won’t give specifics. Dangit, now I’m getting all worked up about it! %@!!$^%&&!#@$%^%*&^&

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Hammerdown 08/31/2016 at 11:21

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Ours was a half ton, two-tone blue, 170HP TBI 305ci. Previous owner have installed curtains on the windows. Half-tons only came from factory with two front buckets and one bench, so we pulled a bench from our old 3/4 ton (also Beauville) for the back, and bolted down a couple buckets out of a Jetta for the middle. Got it 10 years old with 70,000km on it, served us through another 14 years and 230,000km. Took me through many road trips, beach trips and so on. Learned to drive in it.

Damn I miss that thing. So many memories. It’s funny the things you remember... I distinctly remember bugging the crap out of everyone by letting the armrest ashtrays snap closed over and over. And you learned pretty fast not to wear shorts unless you had a towel or something to put over the vinyl beading so your legs didn’t get pinched... I could go on for ages. I’ve got a few pics somewhere, I should dig them up.

shop-teacher > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 11:23

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A buddy of mine used to have that exact same Beauville, same color and everything, except it was a 1-ton. It had a stock 14 bolt rear end with 4:10 gears, and that thing would pull like a bat out of hell off the line.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Ash78, voting early and often 08/31/2016 at 11:27

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I realize I’m posting over something commonplace, but still. Going to a sucky 9-5 (or whatever hours you work) to pay bills is one thing though, but it’s when you thought you’d managed to move up and get away from the stuff you hated, but then keep having to go back because “emergency” and “you’re good at it” that bugs me.

#justsmallcompanythings

smobgirl > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/31/2016 at 11:30

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I have one of those. Compounded with the fact that no one is willing or able to train me to do the thing that I hate that I'm awful at, but more than willing to make me feel like shit for being bad at it. Here's an idea: if it takes you longer to review and yell at me for this report type than it would to write it correctly, why don't you just do it yourself?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/31/2016 at 11:30

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Funny enough, I was thinking about Calvin and Hobbes this whole time as well:

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/31/2016 at 11:32

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My direct manager (the plant manager) is a brilliant man - who like many lightly spergy types simply cannot communicate. Vagueness in instruction and advice are my bread and butter.

Ash78, voting early and often > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 11:35

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Yep, I hear you...I went from a smaller company where I was the key "expert" at about 5 things, to a gigantic company where I know very little of anything (because all their processes are so specific). If I had to choose either, I'll take the first one because at least it gives people an impression of your invaluability. I feel like I could be replaced by a computer at any time. (full disclosure: I jumped ship at the old place because everything I touched was about to blow up due to external factors....it did.)

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/31/2016 at 11:37

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The complaints that really annoy me are the “what’s taking so long” ones.

Let’s get a bit of background... I was doing “task x” in addition to other duties for a while. The program started taking off and I found myself with too much to do, so we started getting “pros” in to do it. Once in a while we can’t get them, so I have to do it.

Now every time I’ve done it, it’s taken “x” days per job. The pros were actually slower. The salesmen know this. And they still figure that somehow, magically, the next job will be ready in less time.

Meh

TheRealBicycleBuck > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2016 at 11:38

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I have two work situations that I hate. The first are people who tell me to “just make it better” but will not tell me what is wrong with what I delivered or how to fix it to meet their expectations. The second are people who refuse to sit down long enough to establish basic expectations before a project is started and then get angry when the results aren’t what they expected.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 11:40

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Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention - we had a Beauville for a short period. It was pretty great. Sky blue, with dead paint on the hood which we sort of properly re-rattle-canned. It was supposed to be a color match, but nahhhh.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > shop-teacher 08/31/2016 at 11:41

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We had a half-ton with a 305, I don’t know what was in the back. It wasn’t fast, but it had enough torque that it never really felt slow. It was way more fun to drive than a van has a right to be. Handled pretty well, too. I’m going to have to look out some pics...

TheRealBicycleBuck > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 11:44

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And the corollary - “why aren’t you working on my project?” Or, “We need this right now.”

In both cases the requester is demanding immediate performance without taking into consideration all of the other requests in line ahead of them.

Insert lack of planning meme here.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2016 at 11:48

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Beauvilles are coming out of the woodwork here :)

So awesome. This was ours

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/31/2016 at 11:50

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Yes. That. Can’t win for losing. In which case you try to piss off the most even-tempered one.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2016 at 11:53

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Also, having something you’re good at but is also insanely easy to screw up. I usually count on making one mistake at least. Also, usually catching it inside 5 minutes. The product that leaves is good, but only one person knows what actually went into it...

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > smobgirl 08/31/2016 at 11:57

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One of the people who I work with told me shortly after I’d started that “If I have to keep checking your work I might as well do it myself”.

#1, that’s fucking encouraging.

#2, I just got here.

#3, he didn’t say that when I screwed up, he said it when I brought something to him to check. As I was asked to do when I finished it. By him.

I mean, I see his point, but at least give the new guy time to wrap his head around what he’s supposed to be doing...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 11:58

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I could be wrong, but I think ours was a 350. Late ‘80s model, like that, Dark blue velour interior.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/31/2016 at 12:00

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Ours was 305, and the half ton, so from factory it only had 1 bench and 2 buckets... so we “borrowed” a bench from our ‘84 before we sold it, and then bolted a couple bucket seats from a Jetta in the middle. Worked like a charm. Blue interior with a little grey from the Jetta. Also, window curtains for added awesome.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Hammerdown 08/31/2016 at 12:01

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Found some pics!

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > shop-teacher 08/31/2016 at 12:02

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Found the pics

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 12:03

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Bismarck on the making of sausage and politics comes to mind.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/31/2016 at 12:05

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I just had to turn around a project that someone is presenting to a customer on our behalf - which I did an initial prep for 16 months ago. Monday, the whole thing does a WISE FWOM YO GWAVE and has to be turned around by today, with every single significant element altered.

shop-teacher > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 12:11

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Nice! I love these old vans.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 12:27

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In the engineering world, back-checks are required, so we don’t have to deal with anyone complaining about that. Double-checking someone’s work before it goes out to a client is worth the time and effort. I’ve seen what happens when a consultant fails to do that and discovers an error mid-presentation.

smobgirl > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 12:34

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Yeah. We review reports before they go out the door, but it’s gone from one person heading the reviews and making sure that our drafts are roughly accurate to a massive team of people micro-managing all of the employees work. It regularly takes people longer to review than it takes us to write, and it’s not because we’re bad at our jobs. It’s disheartening.

Then they wonder why the turnover rate is so high.

smobgirl > TheRealBicycleBuck 08/31/2016 at 12:35

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Yeah, but there's a huge canyon between double-checking and micro-managing. We are firmly entrenched in the micro-managing side. Ah well.

Hammerdown > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 08/31/2016 at 12:58

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This is the only picture I can find of ours. 3/4 ton with the 6.2. Brown/tan two tone. Two benches in the back. Beside it is the 74 C10 I dailyed in high school.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Hammerdown 08/31/2016 at 13:11

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Like them both :)