The Webb Chronicles

Schooling

2011-11-02T10:21:00.000-06:00

When Ally was little, we had ever confidence in the world in her abilities to do well in school. And she surpassed our expectations every day. We are so proud of how great of a student she has become. However, now as she is entering Junior High, the work load and expectations from her teachers has increased causing a slight drop in her marks. She has high standards for herself and while she is still doing well, she is beginning to lose her drive. I am starting to notice the typical pre-teen lack of organization in her notes but she comes home and wants to study every night. Unfortunately, she also has a teacher who is beyond a perfectionist. I have come to discover that he not only wants them to do it like he does it, but goes a little further to the point where he wants them to basically copy him altogether. And I mean right down to the spaces, enters and wording!!! I have since discovered that he has ADHD and on some days is so disorganized that Ally can't understand what he is doing. He even admits that he has issues. That being said, I believe him to be a great guy. I think he is a very thorough teacher but I think because he teachers higher grades as well, that the younger kids have a difficult time living up to his expectations.

I am a person who gives everyone a chance and have been gently trying to mediate between the two but I don't want Ally to lose respect for him because he marks it wrong if she writes "I think if I" instead of "If I", or hit enter or didn't tab in the right place. And I also don't want Ally to lose her honours with distinction because a Science teacher decides to deduct her marks for her grammar, especially when his is less than desirable, when her data (Science) is 100% right. In one hand I want her to copy him and yet she can't because the grammar and punctuation aren't correct. I am so torn! I don't want to cause a rift between her and her teacher. I fear by saying too much, I could make it worse for her.

Ally and I have spent hours upon hours trying to get her assignments right and studying for exams. I feel like I am back in Junior High. Unfortunately for Ally, I never was an honors student.

Later this week we will meet with him and hopefully will work through some of this. I am concerned that if we don't deal with this, Ally's studies will suffer more. =(

Electronically addicted

2011-03-19T11:59:00.000-06:00

As I look around the living room this morning I wonder what people did before all the electronics came into our lives. Russ currently has a laptop on his lap, and is checking his emails on his phone - while texting and Ally is on her i-pod checking her friend's status on facebook. I also have my laptop on my lap; checking facebook, g-mail, doing banking, doing our budget on excel and researching for work on our company's website, while texting and updating my calendar on my iphone.

Remember the days when the most complex piece of equipment we had was a remote control with 4 channels or the VCR and you just prayed to god that the tape didn't get eaten. Or how did parents in town ever keep track of where there kids were before cell phones?

What's sad is the fact that because of current society, our children need to have cell phones for safety. Where we live, there are numerous houses being built and according to my friend Joel ( constable for the RCMP) who also lives in the neighborhood, there are quite a few guys working on these houses who are just out of jail. How scary is that??

Last week Ally and her friend left the house to go walk thru the deep snow. An hour later I go to check on them and they are no where to be found. They were supposed to be playing the backyard, and there wasn't any tracks! I started to get that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I go into Ally's room and there is her cell phone on the bed and both of their jackets. I realize at this point that there is no way to contact her and I have no idea what they were last wearing! My friend Holly was here with me, so we went looking for them. We drove all the way down to the corner store and no one had seen them. There was no sign of them. We drove back to the house and I called her friend's dad. Maybe they went there. No, he hadn't seen them and now he is starting to worry, but he mentions that his daughter might have taken Ally to another friends house in the area. Although I believed it to be possible, it was unlike Ally to leave her cell phone or go anywhere without letting me know. So I decided to call my friend Joel and he offers to drive around and look for her.

Holly and I hop into her car and go driving around the subdivision. Just as we get close to the house that the father had mentioned, who walks out of the house but my daughter and her friend. Now I normally wouldn't be upset about it but she isn't allowed to go into stranger's houses. After a serious lecture and letting her know that Joel was out looking for them, the looks on their faces, and their repetitive apologies told me that they wouldn't do it again. She now knows just how fast I can get the RCMP after her! lol

Funny how just the comfort of her having a phone is normally enough to give me enough security that she is safe. If she had had it on her, I wouldn't have cared as much about her being over there. It may be a false sense of security but it's enough for me. So while I complain about how dependent we have become on these electronics, I guess the fact of the matter is it's become necessary in today's society.

Well back to my 300 tv channels, my pvr'd tv shows and movies, and facebook. Hopefully I'll make some time to go to the bathroom. Have a great Saturday everyone!

The Journey Begins

2011-02-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well, the decision wasn't easy but now that it's been made, I feel better than I ever have.

Company three wins the prize, that is, if I'm a prize. LOL

So I get a little break and off I go to what I feel is going to be my best career move ever. I'm so excited and it's one of those excitements that feels good, different than ever before. Not fear, questioning or trepidation but only pure adrenalin and anticipation.

The next year starts the adventure with working in Calgary, focused on preparing our team for the great plant to come. The new place will be bigger than anything I've worked in before and I'm pumped for the challenges this new role will give me. I've met a couple of the key players that I will work for/with. Great people. I received such a sense of camaraderie from them and they seemed so easy to talk to. I can't wait to get at it and join the team.

My career, after a six month hiccup, is finally back on track!

Life's trials and tribulations

2011-02-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we begin to believe that we are in a simple moment in life but are suddenly reminded that nothing in life is simple. I'll explain.

As Nicole posted, I was on my way home from the final journey, never again to have to deal with the worst company ever. Life was simple. A new job was all lined up. It isn't the perfect job for me but will be good for us overall. After the last six months, even a less that perfect opportunity is a perfect option.

Then life got complicated again! How long was that, three minutes???

As I drove home from company one, ready to start with company two in a week... company three calls! WTF?!?! Company three tells me that the position they interviewed me for, which was a bit better than company two, was below me and they have opened up a new position for me that they weren't going to post for six to eight months. They feel the position is a better fit for me and they're right. They also convinced Human Resources to bypass the posting and interview process so they can just give me the job. Holy crap!!!

So here I sit... company two is a better shift rotation now and has the potential for overtime to help us get ahead. The downside, the position is one that I was doing 12 years ago and is a real step down for me. I could earn a better position later but they are unionized and I will not be able to grow very fast.

Company three is the perfect job position but is in Calgary for a year or so before going to site. The schedule sucks for a year but then matchs company two. The pay starts at the same as a base check with company two but there's no overtime. After the position moves to site in a year, the money is more per pay than company two ever will be. There is also more potential to grow.

In summary, company two is better now (more money and better shift), company three is better later (more money later and better role). If I bail on company two right now, I'll burn that bridge and never be able to turn to them again. If I bail on company three, the option to join them later is undetermined.

What would you do?

Here We Go Again!

2011-02-22T14:12:00.003-07:00

Well folks we didn't make it even a year this time and my hubby is changing jobs. Now don't get me wrong, Russ isn't a lazy or unmotivated man who finds fault with EVERY job he has. No, in fact, he is the type who is always searching for a new challenge or opportunity and people (employers) are drawn to that. He is constantly getting one job offer after another. And while not every position he has taken has benefited our family, his intentions are always to make our lives easier and better. He has been a wonderful provider and I can't imagine being married to anyone else.

His recent venture, we'll call Potrobanko, =) has been less than desirable. The typical promises made yet not honoured was the main theme of this company. Not only did we put miles on our personal vehicles because the company vehicle they promised just never seemed to be ready, but we also accumulated thousands of dollars of expenses on our personal credit card because they were too cheap to give him a company one. Yet they expected him as senior ranking guy to pay for meals or catering or hotels for the lower ranking employees. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED on how long it took to get reimbursed. Never saw a penny to cover the interest that accumulated because of it.

Russ had grown men come to him crying because they couldn't handle the boss any longer. We nicknamed his boss Jeckyl and Hyde. Never knew which personality would unfold. Any idea that an employee would bring to the boss, if it wasn't his own, was turned down. Not because it wasn't a good idea but because he wanted to control EVERYTHING. Then instead of giving them guidance he would just tell them it wasn't good enough and go come up with something else. I could go on for days about the mistreatment that occurred but I would rather focus on the brighter days to come.

After a bumpy 5 months, Russ has been offered a job with Suncor. He will be a junior operator again. He will be taking samples, cranking valves and saying "yes sir" to men 10 years his junior just to escape his current situation. We will be leaving behind stock options and shares valued at nearly a quarter million dollars....why? Because when it all comes down to it, not all men can be bought.

Now don't misunderstand this, Russ tried to fight for the little guys. He knew if the one road block was moved aside, he could have done wonders for the company. He was so excited at the possibility to build this company and prove a new technology. But it had to be done ethically. His boss did not share the same beliefs. So before accepting the Suncor job he went higher up. He expressed the concerns that the other operators had, his own concerns and those of the vendors who were willing to walk off site if this person did not leave,.... but was basically unheard. The senior boss actually made the point of saying that, that is why they pay everyone big stocks and shares, to help them overlook some of the less pleasant parts of their jobs.

But today as he drove to one of the plant sites one more time, a phone call came in from human resources wanting an exit interview. For the first time Russ got to feel like he was being heard. Little too late. Apparently the senior boss who figured he would stay for the money was a little shocked. See not everyone can be coaxed with a pretty penny.

However, the best part of my story is still yet to come. Russ, out of the kindness of his own heart and despite his reluctance, promised his boss he would go out one last time to the plant to boost moral. They are bringing some new equipment online and he wanted Russ to come out and help them build confidence. I told Russ that he shouldn't and that I felt his boss would get in one last dig but Russ is a good guy and went out anyways. He drove 450 km out there for the boss to take his phone and belongings and tell him that he was no longer needed and he should go home!! What a $)*#@! However, for the first time in months, my hubby was happy and relaxed on the phone. We can now all breath a sigh of relief that we can finally start to rebuild and move on. =)

Newbie!

2011-02-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

After my sister-in-law decided to turn to blogging after recently boycotting Facebook, I realized that this might be the exact thing I need. I have spent years journaling on scrap pieces of paper here and there, but nothing that lasts longer than a day or two. When I didn't have time to write all my "wisdom" down (HA!) you would find me reciting my speeches in my tub or car. Why is it that we sound so intelligent at those times, yet when confronted in the exact situation we've practiced for, it comes out nothing more than a belch or stutter. Hopefully, this will give me the false sense that I got my point across at least to someone...if anyone is out there reading this. =)