FireStorm

This is a photo I took Sunday night, looking due East from my home.

This photo I took this morning, looking SouthWest. This line of fire is only about 1/2 mile away.

Here we still sit. We have been in the "estimated evacuation area" since about 2:00 pm yesterday, but have not received formal notification of evacuation. Our neigbors to the east, less than 1/2 mile away, have been evacuated.

As I mentioned earlier to Jen, the saddest thing is that there is really nowhere to go. Our plan is to head north, out of the County entirely. But for now, we are staying with our home.

The air is filled with smoke and ash, and it gives the day a "total eclipse of the sun" feel. We sat in our backyard this morning and watched a line of fire race down the hill to the southwest of us, less than a mile away. Soon it will be able to cross the freeway again, as it will just have to travel under it. So far, the wind remains in our favor, at least for the line we can SEE.

The same fire (what has been named the "Witch Creek Fire") continues to burn to the northwest of us as well. Should the winds continue, we won't be so lucky from the north. We are feeling rather insulated (a dangerous rationalization, I know), as this little valley pocket that we live in seems to be untouched... everyone around us has been evacuated.

At this point, there isn't a part of San Diego County that isn't threatened by one fire or another (except those that have already burned). Over 300,000 people have been evacuated and over 1000 homes lost, many of them multi-million dollar custom homes. Currently, the ultra-posh communities of Rancho Santa Fe, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar, and Fairbanks Ranch are evacuated as the southwest head of the Witch Creek Fire, fueled by the Santa Anas, races around uncontained. Brand-new subdivisions to the far south are threatened by the Harris Fire, and Donovan State Prison is currently being evacuated. Many state prisoners are being utilized as fire crews.

I wanted to upload some of the pictures that I've taken over the past couple of days, but I don't have the driver for my camera on my laptop. Bad planning kicks me in the ass again!! I will edit this post later (hopefully) with some of the photographs... none of them are very good, though. Check local and national news sites for some of the more dramatic images... and the satellite photos from space are revealing as well. (Note... images are up, so it's obvious I edited, right???)

Pray for your brethren in Southern California who have already lost so much... and send your strength and courage to the brave men and women who have battled to save lives for two days, in some cases at the cost of an irrevocable impact on their own. We are blessed to be safe and healthy for the time being, and able to mobilize quickly should that status change. So many are not so blessed... and it is for them that my prayers and heart beg to be heard.

Scary Stuff, Y'all

We are preparing to evacuate.

www.signonsandiego.com

From the Ever-Inspiring Jim Steinman

"I treasure your love,
I never want to lose it...
You've been through the fires of hell
and I know you've got the ashes to prove it
I treasure your love,
I wanna show you how to use it...
You've been through a lot of pain in the dirt
And I know you've got the scars to prove it
Remember everything that I've told you,
And I'm telling you again that it's true
When you're alone and afraid
and you're completely amazed
to find there's nothing anybody can do
Keep on believing!...
and you'll discover, baby...
There's always something magic,
There's always something new...
And when you really, really need it the most
That's when rock and roll dreams come true
The beat is yours forever,
The beat is always true...
And when you really, really need it the most
That's when rock and roll dreams come true
For you."

Small Victory

I've used Nextel as my cellular provider for 8 years. For most of that time, I bought the phones outright and picked the rate plan that worked for me, which kept me free of contracts, etc. For all those years, I could change my rate plan whenever I needed to, add services and additional lines on a whim, and enjoy outstanding customer service. Life was good with Nextel.

When MSU decided to go to Hawaii, we decided we needed to upgrade our phones so we could exchange multi-media messaging, etc. I couldn't afford to buy the phones we wanted outright, so took the "upgrade" and got the "internet deal" on two phones, a good rate plan, and a 2-year contract. Since I'd been a customer for so long anyway, I didn't think the contract would be such a big deal.

I can hear you laughing, you know.

About 2 months ago, the phones we bought only a year ago started malfunctioning and the battery life seemed to be severely compromised. I made several calls to Nextel Customer Service in a futile attempt to try to get an upgrade... or get the service that I PAID FOR with monthly "insurance" installments... or negate my contract, get new phones on a "new subscriber" deal and sign a new contract.

Well, you can guess how that turned out.

So after several weeks of phone calls, each of them lasting approximately one hour, I was - to say the least - disenchanted with my cellular service provider. I decided that, whatever it took, I was going to buy out of my contract and get a new phone, new provider, and a new persepctive.

Lo and behold, I finally sold my motorcycle. And though I have about a million things I could apply that cash to (like the loan, for Heaven's sake), I decided at least part of it was going to cellular freedom.

So yesterday I travelled to the AT&T store, meandered about the premises for about an hour, and finally chose new phones for MSU and myself. $312 and one new contract (with monthly service fees costing almost 50% less that Nextel) later, I walked out prepared to ride like the rebel I am to the Sprint/Nextel store to pay my bill, pay off the contract, and cancel my service.

I was REALLY looking forward to it.

When I arrived - in all my gangsta glory - there were about 20 customers in the store and 4 store personnel. I waited for almost 20 minutes before anyone even acknowledged my presence (and of course I was fuming in increasing increments the entire time). WHen someone finally deigned to help me, I advised them that I had come to pay my bill, pay off my contract, and cancel my service. "Pedro" (I'm assuming this is his name because it was on his nametag) advised me in not-so-many words that he'd be happy to take my money, but that I'd have to call Customer Care to cancel service. I told Pedro that he could go ahead and tally up the bill while I made the call to Nextel.

Of course he didn't. He helped other people. Which turned out to be a good thing.

Customer Care kept me on hold for about ten minutes - this is AFTER I navigated through the ridiculous phone tree - before Steve came on the line. I advised Steve that I was in the Escondido Nextel Store and that I was paying off my contract and bill. I advised him that I was calling to cancel my service. Of course, Steve is trained to try to talk me out of it, which he did. I told him that I was dead-set on cancelling and it would be most helpful if he would ditch the script and close the account. Steve asked why I wanted to cancel my service. I advised him that all the information he needed was in the database already, the culmination of several weeks and several hours of phone calls with absolutely no resolution. Steve thankfully advised that he had cancelled the service, but had to transfer me to the "Senior Representative" in order to "confirm" the cancellation.

Of course.

So I waited on hold for another 10 minutes before Corinne, the Senior Representative, came on the line.

Corinne: I understand you want to cancel.

Me: Yes. As a matter of fact, Steve informed me that my cancellation was already a done deal and you would be providing me with a confirmation number. May I have it, please?

Corinne: Well, I have to put a reason for your cancellation into the form. Why do you want to cancel?

Me: Corinne, I've already explained this to Steve. Please refer to the computer note that should detail several calls to Customer Care over the past few weeks wherein I was treated like a number and given no consideration whatsoever despite my 8 years of loyalty to your company.

Corinne: I need you to state a reason for the tape.

Please note that at this point a rather large crowd had gathered around me and the 4 store employees were frantically trying to employ every sales tactic in their little toolboxes to entice them away.

Me: Okay, Corinne. I am standing in the Escondido Sprint/Nextel Store right now. There are about 20 people in here listening to every word I say. In fact, they seem fascinated by this 30 minute foray into lunacy. I'll be happy, in the loudest voice I possess, to explain to you in minute, step-by-step detail, why I am cancelling my account. In fact, I relish the thought. Please, tell me when you start the tape and I will begin.

Insert applause from the customers here. No, I'm not kidding.

Corinne: Where did you say you are right now?

Me: In the Escondido store.

Corinne: And there are CUSTOMERS there?

Me: Yes. Lots of them. Though several people have walked out since I began this phone call. They were shaking their heads in disgust and I'm pretty sure they are on their way to the AT&T store, because I've been pointing at my NEW phone and giving the "thumbs up" signal since we began this little excursion.

Corinne: Well, I see that you have already switched two of your numbers over to a new provider, but you still have one line on the account. I'll give you three months of free service if you keep that line.

Me. No.

Corinne: I'll -

Me: No.

Corrine: Bu-

Me: No. No. No. NO. Please, give my my cancellation confirmation. Do it now.

Corinne: Okay, it's *******.

Me: Thank you, Corrine, you've been most helpful. Now, I want you to guarantee that I'm not going to receive a bill in the mail for cancellation charges, etc, because I am paying those right now in the store.

Corinne: It will show in the computer, but you'll recieve a bill for the cancellation.

Me: If I do, you will personally be hearing from me again. We're finished now, Corinne. Goodbye.

Insert actual CHEERS from the audience here.

Poor Pedro, who has been trying to manage other customers and failing miserably during this time, is now stuck with dealing with me. He totals up the bill plus the cancellation charges, and I give him my $879 and ask for a receipt. Pedro dutifully supplies me with the requested receipt, and I ask him, "We're finished, right? I'm not going to get a bill and have to come in here again, correct?"

Pedro: I don't work for Finance.

Me: What did you just say?

Pedro (mumbling): I don't work for Finance. I don't know if you'll get a bill or not.

Me: Pedro, did you just tell me that it's not your JOB to know whether or not I'll get a bill after I just handed you a wad of cash totalling just shy of $1000? Are you telling me that I might have to come back in here in a week??

Random Customer: Pedro, you don't want her to come back, do you? DO SOMETHING!!!

Yesterday was a really good day.

Update

Apparently, I sucked so bad that I was the second person to be IMMEDIATELY notified that I wasn't selected for the current opening.

How's that for proficiency??

Hey folks, it's important to be good at what you do... and I evidently excel at SUCKING!

Freaky Foray Finally Finished

Oh boy, am I glad that's all over!

At least, I hope it is. If I don't get selected within a year, I'll have to start the whole thing over.

So, from start to finish:

Wardrobe: I have several skirt suits, pants suits, and business-type dresses to choose from. I figured that most everyone else interviewing would be wearing something dark and conservative, trying to "not stand out." I chose a different tactic. I wore a very nice mottled-wool skirt suit in shades of mauve and grey with a pattern of wine-colored appliques on the skirt. I wore a weskit-style wine-colored blouse that snaps up the front with tiny silver snaps, which also gathers at the sides. The front is just long enough to peek out from below the jacket, and with three of the tiny snaps left undone at the bottom made a vest-like pattern. Wine shoes that exactly match the appliques. I saw four other applicants during the day, and every one of them was wearing a black or navy suit. SCORE!!

Day: Mondays are my duty days, and are typically incredibly busy. Since I didn't have the presence of mind to trade duty days with someone else, I was stuck with it. It was a horrifically challenging day, fraught with angry parents, unexpected detentions, clients just wandering in off the street demanding to be seen, and other such nonsense. By 2:45 I was more than ready to leave, but was suffering from my usual Monday malady - sheer exhaustion. I figured I'd be lucky to form a complete, coherent thought, much less a coherent sentence.

Interview: On the way to the interview, I was kicking myself because I didn't bring a copy of my original application to refer to. When I arrived, I waited for a short time in the lobby, then was taken back to the Chief's office (currently vacant), where the Executive Assistant gave me a copy of the four questions for the interview, and - lo! and behold! - a copy of my original application. After quickly offering gratitude to the Powers That Be, I was given 15 minutes to prepare my answers to the questions. And Thank the Lord for that, because there is NO WAY I'd have been able to come up with comprehensive, spur-of-the-moment answers to the questions. I'm sure they give the questions out in advance to benefit the panel as well - I imagine that the interviews go a lot faster and much more smoothly when folks are given a few minutes to prepare.

I felt the questions were fair, and adequately posed. I ran out of room on my notes sheet, and STILL managed to forget to say some of the points I had written down. Which might be a good thing, because as it was, I felt like I talked the poor panel's ears off. There are some things that I would say differently if I were able to do it again... there are some things that I would add... there are some things that I would leave out... and there are some things that I would have explained better. I also found myself using my hands too much, probably out of nervousness. The panel scribbled madly on their interview forms, which I took to be a good thing.

All in all, I feel I did well. I do not think I'll be chosen for this first spot, though. My competition is pretty stiff. Regardless, we should know in a week who is appointed to this first opening. There should be between 6 and 10 more spots opening within the next six months, so I think I have a pretty good chance!!

Yay me.

Now, back to the grind... like it or not, I'm still in this dumb Unit, so I better start practicing what I preach!

I said it before, but I'll say it again... I'm glad it's over.

The Revelations of Studying

I'm casting about in the dark, studying for my interview tomorrow. I'm casting about in the dark because I have absolutely NO IDEA what the panel is going to ask me. In keeping with my jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none style, I'm throwing a little bit of everything into the pot.

The interviews are scheduled at twenty-minute increments, 11 interviews total. We've been instructed to appear fifteen minutes early, as they are going to provide the questions to us beforehand and allow us time to prepare notes.

To me, this means I can bring my laptop, my thumb drive, and the Supervisor's Desk Manual to my interview as "preparation" materials. I did not verify this. I figure they'll tell me if I can't use them. In my opinion, I'd be a fool if I didn't stack the odds in my favor as much as possible, given that there is only one position available at this time.

As I wander through the materials I have, I realize that the major focus in Supervisory materials is on progressive discipline, management of employee grievances, and employee counseling tactics. There is very little in the manual or other published policies that denotes supervisory responsibilities that are outside of these three arenas. Which is troubling to me on a variety of levels.

You see, I have a vision.

Yes, I know how corny that sounds, but it's true. In my vision, employees of my Department are empowered, comptetant, and fully aware of the import of their duties and responsibilities. In my vision, discipline, counsling, and grievances are situations that are few and far between, because I (as a supervisor) have fostered a culture of shared vision, equilateral responsibility for outcomes, and pride in "craftsmanship." My vision includes comprehensive and ongoing training, employee awareness of available resources, ongoing and public recognition of efforts, anticipation of problems before they arise, and more-than-adequate lines of communication (that go both ways) to ensure that all employees are aware of what the expectations are, how they can achieve them, how the outcomes are measured, and why they are required to do what they are required to do. In my vision, employees are happy in their work environments because they are not challenged beyond their capabilities, the expectations are reasonable and achievable, and operations are conducted with safety, readiness, and consistent leadership as the prime directives. In my vision, employees are aware of the strategic initiatives and recognize the importance of providing excellent customer service, creating new opportunities for the children of our County, promoting safe and livable communities, and recognizing environmental impacts and striving to limit them. My vision dictates that the employees under my supervision know, without a doubt, that they are supported. It dictates that employees feel free to exercise creativity and do not fear making mistakes (in acts that are within policy and conducted in "good faith"), nor do they fear reprisal for bringing grievances or problems - real or potential - to light. My vision requires that I am, above all, a good example to my employees... that my expectations reflect my own work ethic and production... that I am available to supervise, train, and lead the employees entrusted to my tutelage in order to ensure that they become effective leaders themselves.

My vision consists of a culture of confidence and competance. A culture of knowing that the work we do is important, valued, and necessary. I am convinced that such a culture will benefit the employees and citizens of my County at a level previously unknown.

During the course of studying, I have come to realize that my vision seems a bit impractical and downright idealistic. Given the nature of the majority of study material available, I recognize that the components of my vision don't appear to be a priority of our business model, which may explain the vast deficit of leadership in our current ranks. In fact, I am almost (not quite!!) hesitant to share my vision with the interviewing panel, for fear of being dismissed as overly zealous and even silly.

:::::::sigh::::::

T minus 28 hours, folks.

PS

I have an interview for a Supervisor position on Monday.

Everybody's Buggin'

This week has been one of those weeks when everybody's buggin.

Co-workers are buggin. Clients are buggin. The Court is buggin. Random people on the freeway are buggin. My kids are buggin.

For once, I'm NOT buggin, so yet again I don't fit in.

Anyway, today I was driving from home to our neighborhood family-run corner store to pick up a few things. I sat at a stop light for a moment, and when it turned green I looked both ways and started to proceed through the intersection, only to be cut off by a circa-1970's Suburban, covered in dents and rust, with a "Clinton the Communist" sticker on the back and a prison-tattooed, shaved-head, parolee-looking scumbag at the wheel. Sure, he endangered me and others, but I'm NOT buggin, so I let it slide. As it turned out, he was going to the same corner store I was. It took him awhile to park his gigantic, smoke-spewing POS, so I entered the store before he did, at about the same time as a man who rode up on a well-maintained Royal Star.

As the clerk was getting my items, the motorcyclist came up to the counter with a bottle of wine. I asked him what model year his 'Star was, and he began to tell me - except dirtbag parolee guy interjected (without invitation or either of us even glancing his way), "It ain't no Harley."

The motorcyclist and I responded, comically, at the same time, "Thank God for that!!" The 'Star rider gathered his wine with a little laugh and a head-nod my way and left the store. I turned to scumbag cut-off artist (who was standing way to close to me) and took a step even closer and said, "I have both Harleys and foreign bikes, and the Japanese bikes are far superior to the Harleys."

Parolee took a small step backward and said, "Well, that's just a matter of opinion."

I took another sep forward and said,"Well, no. Not really. It's a matter of torque. It's a matter of horsepower. It's a matter of mechanical soundness. Only the style is a matter of opinion."

Shaved-head angry white boy turned and left the store. Which cracked me up to no end.

Still does. I'm sitting here giggling as I type.

You see, I have no problem with Harleys. Lots of people like them, and I have to say that my MSU's bagger is intensly comfortable and has lots of storage space and great amenities. But it vibrates like a motherfucker and overheats at the drop of a hat. And let's not forget that the power curve is non-existant. Of course, some of the Harley models are pretty powerful. But they all share the vibration and overheating problem (to my knowledge).

I think I might have been a touch oversensitive with the prison-tattooed angry white boy, partly because I went to Bike Fest in Vegas two weekends ago and found myself about SICK of the "Harley Culture" after the first day. Owning (or stealing) a Harley DOES NOT a biker make. Having a bad attitude and poor haircut does NOT make you a rebel. Having $30K to spend does NOT make you a good or safe rider. And trailering your Harley to Bike Fest?

PPPUUUHHHHHLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEE.

And don't even get me started on the women.

Gee... I guess I AM buggin after all.

SCORE!!!!!!!!!!

My results from the Supervisor Exam came today.

I think I mentioned this before, but for continuity's sake I'll advise that the total score is made up from both the exam and the application. The application was weighted 25% and the exam was weighted 75%.

Application-wise, I have to figure that I did not get full points, as I have only been in the Senior position for a year and have only military full-responsibility Supervisor experience. Though I think my resume is probably "fuller" than most, most of my work experience is from employment outside of the Department, whereas most of my competition's work experience stems solely from employment with my Department. I'm guessing that the folks with primarily Departmental experience got higher application points than I did.

I finished the test (scheduled for 2 and 1/2 hours) in 25 minutes and felt pretty good when I walked out. When I came home, I looked up the questions that I could remember, and found that I missed two answers for sure. I subtracted 10 more points from the original two (counting answers that I missed, but don't know that I missed), and came up with a score of 88 on the exam (by my guesswork alone).

We were told that the exam scores would be graded on the Bell Curve. I figured that my range of 88 to 98 was probably in the upper 25%.

The notice with my combined score arrived in the mail today: combined score = 91.60.

A good score, right? But now I'm totally stressed because I don't know what the score really means. When I applied for the promotion to Senior, my score was (by application alone) 87.5. I found out later that I was #1 on the list. So, if the same rule holds true, I should be in good shape. However, what if the same rule doesn't hold true?? Does a combined score of 91.60 means that I am in the very bottom of the top 10%? Does it mean that I'm dead last on a list of 40 people because everyone else scored higher? Does it mean that I'm #1 on the list again with the top score?

AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Right now, I'm going to stay positive and project that a score of 91.60 means that I'll get an interview. That's really the important thing - and really the only reason for the scores in the first place. If I'm in the top ten, I'll get an interview (or two or three) for sure.

I'm keeping my spirits high and my fingers crossed... something has to change, and SOON!!!