Post-rant Rant

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
08/27/2020 at 23:20 • Filed to: None

So we had the nominations of people to be union reps and like last year, I wound up on the nomination list and then went on an unhinged, yet rather eloquent, rant. They’d be out of their minds to vote for me. They’re like, “Rusty, are you pro-union or anti-union?” Rusty’s like, “I’m pro-leadership, anti-bulls**t.” They’re like, “Rusty, do you really want this job?” Rusty’s like, “About as much as getting violently ill with food poisoning.” They’re like, “They why do it?” And Rusty’s like, “Does the guy who grabs the hand grenade — satchel charge would’ve been lost on them — and jumps into the machine gun nest, does he do that because he wants to do it?” I told them they’d be making a mistake voting for me because I wear my heart on my sleeve and what you see is what you get and this is politics and politics are non-binary.

But there’s this other lady who will get elected who I like very much and I’d link arms with her and take on any challenge my situation could throw at us and when I basically expressed this, the pro-union automatons were quick to point out that being a team wasn’t what this was about, but rather, defending the contract . Anyhow, I allowed this lady to flatter me into putting my had in the ring, in the moment, and flat-footed, I gave them all nine yards of sail and basically dared them to vote for me.

Otherwise, it was a fine day on Zoom.

And I bought a wicked server to fold with.

DISCUSSION (38)

ttyymmnn > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/27/2020 at 23:33

So, did you get the gig? I can be an ardent and devoted follower, but I have no desire to be a leader. However, some of the best leaders are the ones who have leadership thrust upon them. But in this era of toxic “social,” I wouldn’t touch a leadership gig with a 10 foot pole.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/27/2020 at 23:38

Ugh. I'd hate that gig too.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/27/2020 at 23:40

My old graphics boss is our new union rep, graphics is a tough department on shows and she was amazing with the clients. We have two business agents, dispatch etc.. Most people don’t know anything about graphics, materials or application and what the limits are. She always had to deal with all the problem people and we just get the stuff done. I want nothing to do with the clients! The whole world wants to take everything we have and try to do shows cheaper, well without highly skilled people your shows will look like ass!

Chariotoflove > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/27/2020 at 23:41

Sucker.

subexpression > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/27/2020 at 23:41

Many years ago, in some stupid thing I didn’t care about but was required to attend, people decided to nominate me as an officer. I halfway ignored it, thinking none of those assholes would vote for me in what was essentially a popularity contest . Then they elected me and I was screwed.

Luckily, nobody bothered telling me when the meetings were, or asking me to do anything, so I did nothing and ignored it .

Nibby > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/27/2020 at 23:45

ooh what server did you get

jminer > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/27/2020 at 23:48

The crazy thing is Unions that act like this are the enemy of Unions and it’s baffling to me.

If instead of politicking they both advocated for the workers and were innovative in solutions they’d be seriously awesome and growing. Instead most unions are concerned only about protecting themselves and thus alienate most folks.

*I have a strange relationship with Unions today* While being fully supportive of their ability to take power from those in charge and give it to the means of production, modern Unions in the US don’t really seem to do this anymore. Most of my experience with unions have been the UAW and other trade unions like the IBEW or Sheet Metal Workers unions and they’re extremely difficult to work with.

If unions went back to more broadly advocating for equal rights, voices for workers, equalizing pay disparities and worker safety they’d be extremely popular. Read up on the Coil Union actions in the first part of the 20th century, that is serious pro-worker stuff there. They literally took up arms to fight back against the Mine Boss’s violent and abusive tactics.

Sorry for this minor rant in response to your rant - have a good night :)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn
08/27/2020 at 23:58

I’d be blown away if they elected me. But if they did, first, I’d be working more closely with this lady that I really like and second, the Hun that we’d be replacing would still be calling the union president about everything anyhow, so there’d be little difference.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher
08/27/2020 at 23:58

I’d only consider it because of the other lady running. But after my extended rant, I would be genuinely shocked if they voted me in.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Chariotoflove
08/28/2020 at 00:00

If they do vote for me, I expect to regret it profoundly.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > subexpression
08/28/2020 at 00:00

And the people didn’t have to worry about you getting in the way.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Nibby
08/28/2020 at 00:01

GX839N2

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > jminer
08/28/2020 at 00:03

I shudder to think that any of them might actually vote for me. But if they do, I made as sure as I could that they’d know exactly what they were voting for.

Nibby > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 00:04

oooh nice, pretty mcuh everything there is really impressive... except the CPU is pretty low end for a xeon. but congrats

jminer > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 00:06

I like that attitude. I did something similar at work when someone said that I should run a political project and my response was ‘I won’t pull any punches’.

They decided I shouldn’t run that project...

onlytwowheels > ttyymmnn
08/28/2020 at 00:11

I took a manag ement job last summer that I didn’t apply for, it was offered to me. Others had wanted the positions and applied for it. This caused resentment, and one person quit because they thought the job should have been there’s. I admit that I had reservations taking this position, mostly because I was the most recent hire.

Things were not going well right from the start, but I was willing to do whatever it took to keep things running properly. Meanwhile, my manager and her boss are hiring people without involving me in the decision. One hire is the daughter of a current employee. The team dynamic all of a sudden makes a sharp turn. The daughter is an issue, attitude, work ethic and attendance. I try to guide and correct theses issues. I explain to my boss that there are big issues with this one, and I get a shit answer. “ If we get rid of her, we will just wind up with another just like her”. Daughter goes around my back to my manager and complains that I have singled her out. Other employees are now developing a strong dislike for the employee. Now parent and daughter are going around my back to my boss.

Eight months into this m y manager and her boss ask for meeting with all involved, separately. They are angry with how moral has sunk among the team, and I am considered to be the problem. They want to know if I still want this job. I said ‘Frankly, I’m tired of all the bullshit. We have a problem here that no one wants to address.” I stepped down, and the problem employee’s parent is now manager.

Two weeks later we shut down due to the pandemic.....

ttyymmnn > onlytwowheels
08/28/2020 at 00:15

When I was in grad school, I worked at a Kinko’s in Houston. I was damn good at the big stuff, and they made me Production Manager. But then they tried to make me a shift manager too. That sucked balls. I could crank out more work than anybody in the store, but when it came to making sure people punched in on time, that was BS. I’m a worker, not a leader.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 00:24

Looks like the Imperial Palace.

Glad I am not a teacher, don’t think I could do it :)

onlytwowheels > ttyymmnn
08/28/2020 at 00:41

If you wanted to be a babysitter, you would looked for a babysitter job. Usually there is someone who will be late on a rare occasion, but when someone is chronically late and absent, or trouble in other ways, that is going to be cancer to your organization. If they are not removed, the cancer will spread.

I come from a motor sports background, so team work has always been an important part of my job. Everyone was expected to be dedicated to their position, o ne hundred percent effo rt one hundred percent of the time. Problems were dealt with directly and it was shape up or ship out. I have worked at shops where a guy questioning the manager’s directive gets sent home. The following morning the employee discovers that they have been let go. “ Get your tool box and leave, you don’ t work here anymore.”

The management job I had nothing to do with motor sports, it was my “retirement job”. I only was look ing for part time work when I was initially hired, and right from the start I was working 37 - 55 hours per week. When I took the management position, hours increased to 45 - 65 per week. This was far more than I wanted, but I was willing to do it. When it turned into a shit fight, and no support from my manager, I felt powerless to get the team I wanted. At this point I’m babysitting, and the situation looked very blea k. If I knew in advance that there would be zero support, I would have declined the position.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Nibby
08/28/2020 at 00:51

Should be quite upgradeable in the future. And 64 GB of RAM. And it'll easily accommodate two GPU s for folding.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > jminer
08/28/2020 at 00:54

Yeah. Pretty much. I'll make a calmer speech on Election Day. If they want two more years of the same grumpy s**t, then good on 'em. And it's not like a certain faction won't have the union president on speed dial anyhow.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail
08/28/2020 at 00:56

This is a stressful time for that.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 01:04

My sister is a special ed teacher. I think her district starts next week. As of Tuesday they had no plan of what she’d be doing (the regular classes are all WFH I think). Stress level 11.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail
08/28/2020 at 01:13

My wife is a sped para and it’s been a s**ts how.

My bird IS the word > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 06:55

Ehh unions are like most orginizations with no real competition. Nothing inherently wrong, but they tend to atrophy.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 07:27

I know exactly what you mean. Our Union’s VP works in my building. I could work with her. She kicks ass. Admin has a ton of respect for her too, as she doesn’t just complain. She finds solutions.

But still, ugh, no thanks!

Nibby > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 07:36

hell yeah o/ \o

haveacarortwoorthree2 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 09:01

Our two special needs kids started school this week. Luckily (knock wood) , the district seems to be operating with common sense. Buses are limited to what seems to be 20% capacity. Mask mandate relaxed for the special needs kids as there are some who simply can’t/won’t wear masks. Temps taken before walking into classroom (we temp our kids before they leave the house).

Kiltedpadre > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 09:14

That sounds a lot like how I found myself on my work’s safety committee. Being chosen has amounted to the safety manager writing down my suggestions and never doing anything with them instead of just pretending he was listening.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > My bird IS the word
08/28/2020 at 15:51

Unions are like most political organizations that are run by politicians who do what they do in order to gain power and influence and if absolute power corrupts absolutely, then power gained incrementally will corrupt incrementally.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher
08/28/2020 at 15:52

I prayed about it and slept on it and decided that I am all in. It’s not a job I want to do, but like your VP, there may be opportunities to seek and find solutions. That I want to do. I’ve decided to record a statement on video and share the link to my colleagues. A campaign video. Let them vote how they may.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Nibby
08/28/2020 at 15:54

Right now, I’m struggling with drive bays. There are four, and two of them will run straight-up SATA. The other two use Voodoo. I want to have a pair of mirrored drives in there to back up my recorded Zoom meetings with students. It has to be a robust and dependable storage because this is how I would show that I am not a creeper if anyone tried to say otherwise. I think I have it sorted though.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > haveacarortwoorthree2
08/28/2020 at 16:06

I hope your kids are getting what they need. In my wife’s situation, one family is extremely litigious and it jacks away services from all the rest.

Nibby > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 16:28

yeah i always wish dell put more drive bays in their workstations.... stupid really.

especially when you see mid-tower cases with 7-10 bays all the time

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 16:40

You do strike me as the sort of person who would be good at it. I can understand why your coworkers were pushing you toward it.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher
08/28/2020 at 17:02

It’s kind of you to say that. They saw me at my most colorful the other afternoon. Everyone is in Crazy Town and nobody wants to deal with electing reps. I’ll send you the link to my campaign speech when I finish it.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Nibby
08/28/2020 at 17:10

What the heck for a plug is this?

Kinja'd!!!

Looks a little like a PCI-E six-pin, but too small and has different color wires. There are like eight SATA connections on the board, but zero ways, as in ZERO ways to provide power to anything SATA. If I could split one of these, then adapt it to SATA power, I’d be in business.

Nibby > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
08/28/2020 at 18:14

that might plug into the board by the power supply on the bottom... remove the PSU shroud to see