Culture/Work ethic differences

MY company has two offices I travel between frequently. One is in Bothell, WA (where I am based) and one is in San Jose, CA (where I was born and raised & travel to about once a month). I am always shocked at the differences in the two offices.

Today I woke up "late" and got here at 8:15 am. I'm rushing around hoping to get set up in my cube before anyone notices. I walk in the door and no one is here. No secretary, no people, literally no one. The lights aren't even on and I have no idea how the lights here work...lol. So as I sit here at 8:25 I've heard the door open once or twice and I'm still working in the dark.

At the Bothell office, If i get there at 8:20 I'm one of the last ones there (out of 60-75 people). My co-worker buddies ask me if I'm "slacking" off.

How can one company have such different cultures?

Seattle is 13th!

We'll hav eto work on that :)


Forbes Lists America's Drunkest Cities
POSTED: 9:55 am PDT August 24, 2006
MILWAUKEE -- Is the Brew City getting a bad rap?
Milwaukee has been ranked by Forbes.com as "America's Drunkest City," based on information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 70 percent of adult Milwaukeeans reported that they had at least one alcoholic drink within the past 30 days. That compares with 45 percent in Nashville, Tenn., which ranked last among the 35 cities on the list.
Officials at Visit Milwaukee, the area's convention and visitors bureau, contend that the city has come a long way in ridding itself of its beer-guzzling image. A spokesman said Milwaukee has gone from Brew City to new city with the Milwaukee Art Museum expansion, the convention center and baseball park.
To do the study, Forbes ranked each city in five areas: state laws, number of drinkers, number of heavy drinkers, number of binge drinkers and alcoholism.
Coming in second on the Forbes list is another cold metropolitan area: Minneapolis-St. Paul. The twin cities ranked No. 2 for adults who reported having had a drink in the last month, No. 3 for binge drinkers and No. 12 for heavy drinkers, according to Forbes.
Completing the list of the top five drunkest cities are Columbus, Ohio; Boston; and Austin, Texas.
Forbes pointed out some surprising results. Some stereotypically "partying" cities didn't rank high on the list. Las Vegas came in at only No. 14; New Orleans, home to Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras, only ranked in 24th place. And a town known for spring-break revelers, Miami, was only No. 33 on a list of 35 cities.
Forbes.com's Top Drinking Cities
1. Milwaukee 2. Minneapolis-St. Paul 3. Columbus, Ohio 4. Boston 5. Austin, Texas 6. Chicago 7. Cleveland 8 Pittsburgh 9. Philadelphia 9. Providence, R.I. (tied) 11. St. Louis 12. San Antonio 13. Seattle 14. Las Vegas 15. Denver/Boulder 16. Cincinnati 16. Kansas City (tied) 18. Houston 19. Portland, Ore. 20. San Francisco-Oakland 20. Washington-Baltimore (tied) 22. Phoenix 23. Los Angeles 24. New Orleans 24. Tampa (tied) 26. Norfolk 27. Dallas-Fort Worth 28. Atlanta 28. Detroit (tied) 30. Indianapolis 31. Orlando 32. New York 33. Miami 34. Charlotte, N.C. 35. Nashville

Gun Safety - I recently purchased a gun safe

Last year I purchased my first hunting Rifle. This year I purchased a gun safe like these:



Mine look smore like the middle one. According to the website, Fortliberty.org, The FBI estimates there are more than 341,000 incidents of firearm theft from private citizens every year. The loss of a firearm to theft represents more than a monetary loss, it often represents the loss of a treasured family heirloom. In addition, stolen guns end up in the hands of criminals who may use them to commit further mis-deeds. In fact, over 30% of the firearms used in the commission of a crime are stolen from American homes and businesses. A gun safe will protect your firearms from theft, fire, and misuse.



While I was locking my rifle up with a trigger lock, a safe is the way to go. If you spend the extra bucks on the fireproof safes, it is a valuable resource for keeping imortant documents and well as keeping your safety.

Thursday - Aug. 10

My Brother, whose 20 years younger than me, is coming to visit today from California. I pick him up at the airport at 7 pm tonight. It should be interesting to hear how his flight went, considering the Terrorist plaot that was foiled last night and the effects it is having throughout the coutry at the airports. We're gonna go fishing, ride the four-wheeler and have some fun.

Tuesday - Aug 8

I've been playing some co-workers at Racquetball a couple times a week for a few months now. Today was the first time we played before work. It was great! I feal 1000 times better after having played early rather than later in the day. It's a trend I'll ahve to keep up if I want to lose some more weight. I piqued at 240 early this year (I'm 6'1" so that's pushing large there). I am currently at 224. So, down 16 pounds, but my goal is 205 by the end of the year. Working out once or twice a week isn;t going to cut it. I've got to do it 4 or 5 times.

U R Fired

Welsh Woman Fired Via Text Message

LONDON — Katy Tanner's cell phone beeped with a startling message — you're fired.
The 21-year-old had a migraine headache and took a sick day last week from her job at the Cardiff, Wales, outpost of Blue Banana, a British chain of body-piercing studios, she said Monday.

She turned on her cell phone the next day to discover she'd been terminated from her sales position.

"We've reviewed your sales figures and they're not really up to the level we need," shop manager Alex Barlett wrote in the message. "As a result, we will not require your services any more. Thank you for your time with us."

Ian Bisbie, a Blue Banana director, said the company does not usually fire employees by text message, but had no other alternative after phoning Tanner five or six times and calling her boyfriend.

Monday - August 7

I'm going to try and get back into posting frequently. Even if it's just some minute ramblings...such as today.

I helped a buddy frame in a basement on Saturday. We then headed out to GameWorks in Seattle. IF you haven't been to downtown Seattle on a weekend night lately, don't. Have I ever mentioned I hate the downtown area? It is filled with druggies and bums. This may sound harsh, but it's true. It was truely wretched.

Sunday was much more relaxing. Stayed at home, played with the kids and watched the first Pre-Season Football game of the year in HiDef, of course.

This week will be all about getting ready for the big trip to Montana next week. I can;t wait to get out on the river and do some fishing.