travel of buddy don: off to ohio

i will be makin a lil trip to ohio fer goodbank this week. i bin thar a few times on a counta we gut a service desk thar that ansers all the calls fer hep cummin frum our cumputer users.

i dun noted how thangs kin change on wall street. when thangs is boomin, thays limos to take folks to lunch n seems lack thay aint no limit to whut folks mite spend. then thangs turns tuther way, witch they always duz sooner or later. once that happens, folks gits let go n ever eggspents is looked at with yer microscope.

that means that this time, in sted of rentin a car to git me frum the airport in northern kentuck to whar i am a'goin (a lil over 50 miles away), i am a'gone have a car thar waitin to drive me. once i git whar i am a'goin, twill be a simple matter to walk frum the hotel to whar the service desk is.

i cumpletely understand the need to be keerful with dollars (even when thangs is in the feast part of the wall street cycle), but i will miss havin a car on a counta how twont be possibull fer me to make it up to visit my mother-in-law, who shes the bestn ever wuz.

on tuther hand, this gives me n miz bd a reason to make it over to see er when i wont be a'wurkin.

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pitchers tuck by buddy don: vue frum our winder

we knew twuz on its way n overnite it cum as promissd: a big ole wet snowstorm, witch i caint wait to git out in it on a counta i gut to wurk n druther wurk at wurk than at home, witch i dont know how long i kin hold out till i am forced to wurk frum home at lease three daze a week. i reckon most folks wood perfer that, but ... i druther do my wurk at wurk, even ifn it means a'goin out in this ...



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wurk of buddy don: how i made the cut

i menchunned yesterdy bout how thay wuz riffs a'cummin to goodbank whar i wurk on wall st yesterdy, n cum they did. twzu a day of bloodshed whar ye real eyes how tiz so much better to be lucky than good. folks that had bin at the firm fer over 17 years wuz let go, manely on a counta thar bein in jobs that aint a'gone be thar once thangs is re-dun sos they dont cost so much. tiz a tradishu on wall st: durin the feast, they hire lack crazy n throw money n bidies at problems. then cums the famine (witch mayhap thays folks that dont git it yet, but thats whut we are in n tiz fair to call it a reecesshun ceptin ye caint till tiz over on a counta bein honest in publick bout importunt economick or forn pallcy matters aint permitted in this cuntry). whenever wall st knows thays a famine, ye caint magin how they kin cut the bidies n the costs.

i wuz lucky a nuff to have tuck a differnt job in july of last year. turnt out i wuz the furst ever to be in my role n i dun a lot of wurk to make shore twuz reespeckted n credibull. so i wuz lucky.

but thay wuz minny a good wurker than wudnt n thats a hole lot of talent to dump on a market that is down, witch that means sum folks is eethur a'gone half to switch how they make money or wait thisn out till the feast cums back.

meanwhile, them amung us that survived has gut more wurkn ever to do n thays a load of survivor gilt sum folks is a'goin thru (yers truly amung em on a counta i had too minny friends that gut cut down by this particlar axe). here is hopin they all cum out all rite.

n whuts even a bit harder fer the nex few daze is how thay aint no list of them that wuz let go. in sted, ye gut to fine out the hard way, by trine to git in touch with em. or lookin em up in the corprutt die-recktry. (folks wuz a'lookin up thar ownself yesterdy jes to see ifn they wuz still thar!)

so the axe has swung n hopes is that it wont swing agin, but ifn thays more 'write-downs' a'cummin, ye never know how minny more will git cut.

corse tiz importunt to keep in mind how everbidy is a'gone die n ye aint yer job! yer sumthin much more preshus n that, witch aint everbidy that bleeves it: they lock the winders about a week ere they git to cuttin bidies so dont nobidy take too big (ner too embarrassin to the firm) a fall.

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cuncerns of buddy don: more riffs today

over at goodbank on wall st whar i wurk, today thays a'gone be a slew of added riffs, witch i aint all that shore whuther i am a'gone make it or not on a counta this round is aimed rite at the group i wurk in. thang bout wall st is that thay aint no safe place to hide whenever thangs turns down.

so i am a'hopin to make it thru todays round n will sartinly let ye know how thangs cum out, probly in the mornin lessn they send me home early, witch thats how they lacks to handle thangs.

btw, my pallgies fer not postin nuthin on mundy: i wuz in day two of a migraine, witch ye mite coulda notissd how the weather wuz a'changin sumthin fierce up in here jes about then. but i am feelin sum better now n hope to git thru today ... still employd by goodbank.

meanwhile, to keep yer mind on sum nicer thangs, i am deelited to note that fletch is back. ye kin go gaze at sum of his superb pitchers to pass the time ...

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reckolleckshuns of buddy don: ruff day yesterdy

i bin wurkin on wall street fer 20 years now n whut happend yesterdy is kindly a annual event, ceptin that generly they lets the 'ded wood' go n then rebild n such. but whenever the markets tank the way they bin a'doin lately, then ye kin dam betchye that them wall street firms wont be employin nobidy they caint make mony on. i aint blamin em, but tiz the kinda thang that makes fer a verr long n difficult day.

turnt out that yesterdy wuz jes the secunt round (i dint even know till then that i had dun made it past the furst round) with a thurd round on the way. twuz a day whar not a hole lot gut dun on a counta folks wuz too busy gossipin bout who gut let go. thay wuz a list of names a good minny of us knew n twuz sad to thank of em a'bein gone. i wish i could say i wuz outta the woods fer this yer -- and i gut purty good reason to thank mayhap i mite could be -- but i wont know fer shore fer a nuther few weeks.

on a counta thangs wurks lack this. furst they cut the part of goodbank (whar i wurk) that takes keer of reglar investers on a counta thar all spooked by the latest bad news n 'stayin on the sidelines,' witch i dont know whut that sez bout whar thar a'puttin thar mony, but could be a mattress of sumthin. innywho, they aint as much call fer finanshull analysts to take keer of em ifn they aint astin fer keer. so a slew of them folks wuz let go, long with the folks that makes shore thar cumputers wurks.

nex bunch to go is them that wurks in the institushunull bizness, witch thats the part that handles big investers, institushuns n such. them that wuz tradin debt n such n them thats tradin equities n who knows whut all else, well, they were bound to suffer, long with 'back office' folks. so thay wuz a passel of names i knew n people i lacked a lot that aint a'gone be a'wurkin thar. these folks is in groups they call 'bu-aligned,' witch that means theys all devoted to takin keer of a particlar bizness unit.

nex (n last?) roun is the 'horizontull' groups that wurks on makin thangs better across the entire firm. n thats whar my group cum in.

i am deelited with how my boss n his boss handled thangs, speshly whenever the big boss gatherd us all in a room to give us the lowdown so fer as he knew it.

i sed i wuz feelin purty optimistick my ownself, n thats on a counta i run into the big boss in the cafeteria jes after i had dished me out sum oatmeal. i hattent seen im in a long while n dint even notiss he wuz thar, but he calld me over n tole me how importunt whut i bin a'doin is (i am a'wurkin in knowledge management) n how our plan for the year is a goodun n all. he even paid fer my oatmeal, so mayhap i kin stay aroun.

i shore hope so on a counta i aint never wurked at such a good place, lease in terms of the managemint i been a'gittin.

so me n miz bd will celebrate a lil this weekend n look ford to mayhap gittin past the next cut ... n ifn sumhow i dont make it thru, we will jes be a'startin out on a new add ventchur.

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mizry of buddy don: still a'gittin them migraines

me n miz bd spent the hole weekend indoors, witch i wuz a'feelin a lil iffy all along, but yesterdy mornin i woke with no choice but to upchuck furst thang, witch thats the wurst start to one of them thangs thay is. innywho, i sprayd sum immitrex up my nose n lay down n by the end of the day, i wuz ok. miz bd hepped out a lot by a'lyin beside me n doin sum reiki.

now i am wore plum out frum it, but i need to git to wurk. as ifn thangs wudnt alreddy bad a nuff, thays rumors runnin roun lack hedless chickens at wurk, sum sayin tharll be 5% laid off, sum 10%, n sum even high as 30%. i caint hep but let that skeer me on a counta my bad histry with migraines, but ye never know. i am a'doon sumthin at the momint that couldnt jes innybidy do, so mayhap i will be ok.

thang bout wall st is how whenever ye see the market tankin in a big way, ye kin bet they will cut staff as quick as they kin. ifn ye kin make it thru, ye probly wont half to wurry much till the nex downturn ... n we orta not kid ourself bout thisn bein a downturn. tiz ... sad but true.

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short note of buddy don: that thar grind

yesterdy wuz a verr long day fer me. i gut to wurk at 8 in the mornin n dint git dun till 9 in the evenin. n thangs aint a'gone git no easier fer a lil while on a counta i am trainin folks in europe the nex three fridys frum 4 in the mornin till 2 in the afternoon. sounds brutal n tiz, but on tuther hand, i git a car in to wurk on the cumpnys nickel n git to cum home a lil early fer the weekend ... n this weekend sundy will mark my 56th go-round ridin on this earthly ball! i am hopin to stick aroun fer minny more.

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wurklife of buddy don: volunteerin!

bein frum the grate state of tennessee lack i am, ye fine yerself always gittin into thangs on a counta whenever sumbidy asts whuther thay is inny volunteers, ye gut to step up n brag bout how thats jes whut ye are. sum folks thanks thats a crazy way to ack, but today is one of them days that makes it all wurthwhile.

ye mite could member bout how sum years ago i tuck a volunteer spot with the poe-leece athletick league rookie baseball program, witch goodbank has been supportin thatn fer twelve years. bein that i kep showin up, i made it up to assistant commishuner, wurkin long side a good frien of mine name of sanjay, who hes the commishuner. innywho, today we are takin them kids out to see the mets play agin them braves. twill be a tuff day of wurk -- the games cummences at 12:05, leavin preshuss lil time to do innythang else -- but i will take my camra (fixed) n try to make it thru the best way i kin.

have i menchunned lately how i am proof that blessins abound even fer the undeeservin? if not, let me menchun it now n point out how i am proof of it.

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wurklife of buddy don: how that new jobs a'goin

i reckun innybidy that reads this here blog reglar lack knows how i dun tuck a job earlier this munth. i jes wonted to let ye know that tiz a grate job with a fine bunch of folk n tiz a'doon sumthin i bleeve in cumpletely name of 'knowledge management,' witch everbidy knows bout how it needs to be managed, speshly fer a help desk.

tuther half of that new job is how tiz a lot of wurk n leaves less time fer ritin this here blog. besides that, tiz a longer commute. finely, twill take me on a trip to ohio to visit our hep desk. twood be nice ifn i could visit a verr speshul person that lives thar, but i wont git no chants on a count travelin with my new boss n not havin no car of my own n only bein thar frum windsdy evenin till fridy afternoon.

so ifn i caint blog durin that time, ye will alreddy know the reason why.

meanwhile, today we are havin whut they lacks to call a 'off-site' thats a'goin on all day long. thang bout this off-site is how it will take place in a confernts room that aint a city block frum my desk.

i hope all yall is doin grate this fine day!

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daze of buddy don: yesterdy wuz one of the bestns ever

i orta putt a mark by yesterdys date on the calendar on a counta i caint hardly member too minny daze that wuz as good fer me.

to cummence with, i gut the job i wuz a'goin after, witch twill begin three weeks frum mundy. i gut to transishun the stuff i been a'doon to other folk ere i kin move. once i have moved, i will be wurkin in a differnt bildin in a differnt part of the city, witch i reckon thatll mean i kin git differnt pitchers on my way to n fro.

then i cum home n git a call on the telefone frum alabama. turnt out a good frien of mine had moved down thar n bought er a thee-ater n deecided the furst show she wood do is one i writ minny a year ago, witch turns out twill be the 20th anniversry of the musicull vershun (i had earlier writ a one-ack comedy, witch whenever i cum to new york city n showed it to sumbidy, he cunvinced me to make it a musickull, witch me n him n his bruther dun jes that). innywho, twuz a huge sprize to find out that show wood be perduced agin. i will give ye more deetails once we git a lil closer toot.

today at wurk thays a'gone be a lil luncheon sos they kin announce i am a'takin a differnt job, witch i have been in the group the longest of innybidy, so fer sum twill be a bit of a shock.

me n miz bd is on the mend frum them that nasty summer cold n tomorrow we gut a trip to brooklyn fer ackupunkchur, witch we will visit the garden on the way on a counta them roses is bound to be at thar peak bout now.

tiz a time to count sum blessins n real eyes how life is good.

to celebrate i wonted to git a pitcher of the sunrise, witch twuz cuverd in a blanket of clouds, but a'risin nevertheless ...



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eggscuses of buddy don: nuther quick eggscuse

this mornin i have a secunt innervue whar ima trine to git as new posishun at goodbank whar i wurk. i dun had the furst innnervue with the hed of the group n now i need to talk to the vee pee that wood be my new boss, witch that means a conferents call at 8 a m on a counta one of us is in london. ifn i cum thru thisn, then i mite could have good news by this evenin, witch tiz bout time fer me to make a change thar n the new job is jes whut i wonted.

on that subjeck i wood lack to make this lil note. me n miz bd wuz a lookin fer a new place to live back in 2000 on a counta the landlord razin the rent by nigh onto $500 a munth to hit $2000 fer a 321 sq ft apt. so miz bd dun all the wurk a'lookin roun at whut wuz availabull but wudnt nuthin aroun that we lacked n felt lack we mite could afford. so one evenin we wuz lyin in bed a'wundern whut wuz we a'gone do n we deecided jes fer fun that we wood try to pitcher eggzackly whut wood be the purrfeck apartmint fer us. twood have hi sealins n a south facin winder or two n whut else? how bout a washer n drier that wuz not in the basement or a laudrymat nearby but in the verr apartmint its ownself? yeah, we figgerd we should magin that n we dun it. n then we figgerd we should go fer a new place with new pliances n a dish warsher (on a counta why not?) n a doorman n twood all be cheaper than our place wuz a'fixin to be.

within bout a day, miz bd found eggzackly that apartmint n a few years after we moved here, it 'went condo' n give us a chants to buy it, witch we dun that.

n the point of all that is i wuz a'lookin fer a nuther job at goodbank n couldnt find nuthin n dint even ritely know how i orta go bout lookin -- aint no reason to git into details bout why that wood be -- till finely i deecided i wood jes magin to myself whut the purrfeck job wood be. i dun that, figgern when i gut a chants i could splain it to sum of the bosses i have now, but ere i could do that, one of em ast me to read a job deescripshun n lo n beehold, thar wuz that verr job i had dun magind fer myself.

now i gut to bewar of it on a counta ye gut to watch out fer whut ye wont on a counta yer verr liabull to git it!

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quick note of buddy don: whut happend to that thar 8800

yesterdy i writ bout attendin that eevent whar they give out blackburr 8800 deevices to everbidy that cum toot. ye mite could thank that wood mean i had one by now, but taint so. in sted, the one i wuz give will becum thatn beelongin to the boss of the boss of my boss on a counta (1) i know my place n (2) i have nuthin but grate reespeck fer the man, witch he has stuck with me thru all them migraines. tiz true i been deemoted n am reportin to a feller that used to report to me, but i aint tuck no cut in pay n am still wurkin on whuts importunt, witch thats my health not my wealth nor my presteege neethur.

sorry bout inny confushun i mite coulda sparked with my post. i wish i had more time, but seems lack that depakote makes me dream lack never in my life n makes it hardern ever to wake up of a mornin.

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