H.R. Stories: How Not To Get Hired

This cartoon is almost the exact conversation I had with someone who stopped by my office. Unfortunately, Xtranormal limits the number of people who can be in a cartoon to 1 or 2. My assistant was in the office with me at the time. At the end of the real conversation, the visitor asked my assistant a nosy question about what she was doing. We aren't hiring the guy.

H.R. Stories: Hiring Pack

This Xtranormal cartoon I made was based on 3 real conversations I had with 3 of my field HR assistants.



(Jenny prides herself on being an overachiever.)

Use of Photos

I allow others to use my Flickr photos. But I frequently google my user name to see how they are being used. A year ago, a website called LAist Political Notebook used one of my creations more than once. At the time, I was having my dog Turbo run for President on his blog. The photo was created for that blog. I took a picture of a bunch of old campaign buttons and stuck my dog's button in the mix. I doubt the LAist paid close attention to the picture:

Conversation with a Doc

About 5 years ago I sent a someone I knew years before an email that basically said "hi, how have you been all these years?" The following cartoon is what she emailed me back. I interjected a me-character in it.

Cartoons Of My Life

I found this really cool website called Xtranormal. You can type stuff in and make cartoons. You can do cartoons for free, but I opted to pay the $9.99 to get more options.

I am going to create little cartoons of funny things that I have experienced in my life. My first cartoon is of a conversation I had with a woman when I was a senior at Mizzou. I was getting a degree in English. Jean, the woman, was working on a graduate degree in Education.

Gate Cartoon

Meeshka's Penny immortalized me with this cartoon:

The Gate

My gate is falling apart. I have ordered a new gate, and it will be delivered in a couple days. When I got home from work (and purchasing a new gate) yesterday, my gate was no longer husky proof. So I strengthened it with what I had available: Sides of a metal crate, a key lanyard, yellow industrial electrical cord, a bungee cord, and cable ties.



Here's a close up of the latch:



Here's a close up of the bottom of the gate. You'll notice that on the lower right side of the picture has a rusted broken hinge. Dog pee caused the original hinge to disintegrate.



And finally, before letting the dogs out, I scooted a trashcan and a lawn chair in front of the gate as a half-hearted barricade.

Aldi's

I love Aldi's. I used to denigrate it as being for "poor people" and lacking in quality. But I don't like spending a lot of money. I'm closer to being poor than rich. Many of their store brand products are excellent. I like the European products they have.

Tamale Update

First of all, the tamales were really good. Second of all, I don't want to make them again.

2.5 hours to cook the meat
2 hours to soak the corn husks
~2 hours to prepare the tamales
2 hours to cook the tamales

Coming Soon!

I will be spending the first day of 2008 at a friend's house making lots of tamales. I've never made tamales...other than opening a can and cooking up the greasy pseudo-tamales. But we will be cooking them from scratch. We purchased all the ingredients today. The nice woman at the Mexican grocery store thought we were crazy not buying the premade masa concoction.

Sadness...

Hmmm?
Originally uploaded by Elfrieda.

My dear friend Tara has left us. Fairwell Tara and her human, Connie. We will miss you.

2007 Goals

1. Wear pink more often.

2. Eat brussel sprouts more often.

Arbor Day

When I lived in Canada, a friend of mine was under the assumption that Arbor Day was a much bigger deal in the United States than I thought it was. Caroline thought that it was a Day that everyone in the States had as a no-work holiday.

Snow in MO!

Cell Phone Messages

Just where do cell phone messages "go?" Last night my job's answering service called three times and left three messages. My cell phone did not ring at all. The messages arrived about 12 hours later!

Technology is great.

Signs of God

I had to spend today in the small town of Versailles, Missouri. (Note that they pronounce it VER-sales.) I didn't have anything to do for 8 hours, so I drove around. I spotted this sign as I was approaching the town:



Now the American Standard version of this quote (Rev. 3:11) is

I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown.

The King James version is

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

I think that whoever paid for this sign should have sprung for a few extra words.

The Vacuums Are Following Me

I noticed in my rear view mirror as I was driving home today this Missouri license plate:


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I think my Dyson's friend Vrooomy is following me!
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Mr America 1945

My paternal grandparents owned a lodge/resort in Nevada in the 1940's. In the collection of photographs I found these pictures of Clarence Ross, who was Mr American in 1945. I think that he lived at my grandparents place while he was living in Nevada. Unfortunately my paternal grandparents are no longer with us.

Mr America 1945
Originally uploaded by JSF539.

Clarence-Ross-&-Family
Originally uploaded by JSF539.

Bad Boss, March 2004

Lots of rain caused lots of water on the ground.


My driveway should have been in the front of this picture.


My driveway washed away and I was trapped at home. My manager told me that I had to come in to work because she needed a vacation day. She had worked 2 weeks with out a day off (other than the weekends). I built a bridge to drive across, but it collapsed. I had to get towed out of my driveway. I made it to work at 4pm (we closed our office at 5:30pm). My manager left at 11am, so our office was closed for 5 1/2 hours. All wasn't lost, however. She did get her vacation day.