My cell....

just dont let them take your red swingline...

Can you put up lots of pictures and listen to good music???

I rowed for Southern Methodist University, if you know the Dallas area, we practiced at White Rock Lake. Luckily I still have a key to the boathouse and access to the equipment. Its hard to get on the water though when I know I'm not gonna compete. Sometimes I use it as cross training. I was on scholarship, but it didn't cover everything. Private schools are expensive, so I need a job to pay off my loans. I wouldn't go back and do it differently, ok, well I might change my major.

I know it will all work out. Besides work I have no complaints. I would probably tolerate my job better if I wasn't surrounded on all sides by walls.

You know the great thing about being in a single on the lake. There is nothing but you and the water below you. If you look down you see the water bubbling as the boat skims along the top. It reminds me of the carefreeness of childhood where you gave 110% all the time because it didn't matter if you could do it again as fast or as hard. Pain was a game. I kind of feel like riding my bike is the same way, with the wind in my hair. I've just got too much restless energy and to much to give to sit like I do.

I went from college where I rowed 20 hours a week, worked 30 hours, took anywhere from 15-18 hours a semester, to an 8 hour a day job sitting at a desk. And I don't even want to transition. Maybe I was a bit of a zombie at times during college, but it was great. (In season when we were traveling, I didn't work 30 hours I would have died).

I don't know. But thanks for letting me vent. I am feeling a little better.

Hey, don't knock it, I also work in a a cubicle, which is one of four set off from the main corridor.  I prefer this "cell" to the other ones because their entrance faces the corridor and everyone who passes by can stop and talk or view whatever you are doing.  At least I can scratch myself without being self-consious about it!  Anyways, I am eligible for parole this year so I'm out of there soon!!!!  :-) 

Hey Jessi- What is it that you do? And, did you just recently graduate from SMU? I used to live in the Dallas area- in Highland Village, if you've ever heard of that- kinda near Grapevine...anyways, just hang in there, I hate my job too- I hate sitting all day, I feel so unproductive. I miss college too! I actually don't live in Dallas anymore, I live in Fla. But I loved Texas too. Anyways, sorry I went off on a tangent there. Just tryin' to take your mind off your solitary confinement (JK). But really, johnnykay did have a point- You can talk on BT all you want and no one will see! I can't get on it at work b/c someone works right behind my desk. Personally, I would rather be in a room all alone with no one there to bother me....but whatver. Just know you won't be doing this forever!!

Friggin' Mustangs, a whole mess of trouble makers I always said.

bts
TCU c/o '00

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My cell is in a building that used to be a warehouse. The only windows are 30ft up the wall, and they have shades over them. The door by me leads out to a loading dock. The wall by me still has the large rolling door for loading semis, but they drywalled over it. And the whole inside of the building is painted in awful circus freak colors. No real ceiling above me except some catwalks and the air handling stuff, which is all painted mint green. I'm gonna burn the building down...

Anyways, I've decorated my cell. If I have to be there 9 hrs a day then I'm going to surround myself with pics that I like. My cube is a duplex shared with another employee. We've got a table that separates our areas, but that's it. I hung colored silk flower garlands around the perimeter of my cube (the kind you can buy at craft stores). I did it a few years ago for spring, and liked them so much that I left them up permanently. I have a bunch of motorcycle racing and mountain biking posters on the walls. Most are from old calendars that I took apart. Just about every exposed wall surface has some sort of outside picture on it. The wallpaper of my computer is of a pic that I took of red rocks in Sedona, so that's my "window." Anyways, I've had a lot of janitors and people that go between several of the buildings here tell me that I have the best cube.

Curious what line of work are you in? 

trade you your climate controlled cell for my sometimes out of doors (in the worst possible conditiond..minus very cold last night) forklifting and supposed supervisory position. I have about had it up to here with the whining I put up with all shift (and that would be two weeks of 6pm to 5am and two weeks of 7am to 6pm) and the backstabbing and sabotage efforts of the other shift. Oh yeah power has its priviledge alright...whatever. Not for what they pay me. Any time you think you have it bad think about the thermometer testers at Johnson and Johnson;-)

I'll trade you a cell with stuff that is YOURS for my big common area... I share with the whole dept which is like 15 folks, plus another 20 in the other dept that share the space. nothing is yours, you cannot put up pictures, you cannot "claim" anything. Maybe a chair or computer terminal just for a few hours, though. nothing is really kept clean. Same shift infighting and stuff here too. Yeah, and add the biohazard materials everywhere. did I mention we don't have internet access either?

Edited by Lucy 2005-02-23 8:26 AM

I think you’re lucky to be by yourself. I share my cell with a woman who is SOOOO annoying. Instead of 8 hours of solitary confinement I have to suffer listening to 8 hours of someone else’s problems

I do Cost Segregation for a Property Tax firm here in Dallas.

I am feeling a bit better today, my boss got my email and is going to see what we can do, but what I might end up doing is working out of the office a few days a week. Which would be way better for me, but I am not going to act to excited about it. Right now he is trying to appease me.

My problem is I like interacting with people, I like being outside, I get lonely to be quite honest, and I am able to think better when I have distractions, it keeps me from plowing ahead on a problem trying the same course of action over and over. I feel like it keeps me on my toes. And to a point I feel like I am an unnecessary part of Corporate America. So I save people money on taxes, who cares.

No forget that line of thought, I am done complaining.

I am making enough money to pay off my school loans. I just bought a new bike which I will be receiving in the mail paid for by this job. I get to work out on my lunch break. Who cares if they don't care if I'm here or not. Its not my life right. I will spend my days plotting my escape. If I've got to be here a bit longer, I've got to change my attitude or I am not going to make it.

So happy thoughts. I'm thinking happy thoughts. Mmmm...Racing. Mmmm...Carribean Cruise in May. Mmmm....My wonderful friends that would listen to me complain all day, but prefer it when I'm happy. Mmmm....BT people who don't know me but are willing to give me encouragement anyway. Mmmm...My PR on a 10K last month.

Secret: I should have been a forest ranger.

Did you just graduate? I felt the same way after rowing morning practices and coaching in the evenings for extra cash in college. The introduction to the working world was unusually creuel.

I know when i graduated, I felt trapped for 8 hours a day in an office. I joined the local boathouse, and I felt eager to hit the water after a long day at work. The only problem was all the good Singles (one person sculls) were all taken, so I had to either take out the crappy single (im a Heavyweight, so the only single left was Lightweight single) or row with the "masters". These were the people with no concept of CATCH TOGETHER, and got speared in the back a couple of times.

I bought a single a year ago, from a fellow allumnus for a really great price. So that helped the equipment issue. The only problem now is the division I was rowing in. I am way to young to be a Masters (only 25 here, and masters starts at 27+), so I can only row Open. Rowing Open is really competetive, and I cant dedicate 2+ hours a day to rowing training, its difficult to stay in shape. So I always wound up with really crappy times in the Head races.

I feel your pain!

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I did the Head of the Charles as a double unaffiliated my first year out of college, and we were up against oh, the US National Team, the English national team, the Canadian national team.

It was an amazing experience, but also a slap in the face. Watching these ladies row was amazing. We were only practicing an hour to two hours five days a week, with no coach. Adjusting to sculling from sweep rowing wasn't that bad until we started putting on the power. I'm a port, so feathering with my left hand wasn't exactly fun at first. Do you sweep? What style? Where did you row?

I volunteer coached for a while as an alum, but I got frustrated because no one really cared. They were there because they were either on scholarship or they wanted a reason to use the Athletics lockerroom to pick up football players.

The Dallas Rowing Club is off of Bachman Lake. It is more like a pond with trees growing up out of it, and there are planes flying over head because across the street is Love Field. I stick to the singles at White Rock.

I feel your pain with the boat situation, I rowed lightweight my freshman year and we went to Navy to race them, Notre Dame and MIT. Small race, just the four schools. We borrowed a four from Navy. Lets just say it was for open weight men. The shoes were so big we kept our running shoes on and then put on the shoes. Which were duct taped. But who cares, WE WON.

Rowing was my obsession and I got to do it twice a day 5xs per week and once on Saturdays. I'm finding triathlon is becoming my new obsession, but I'm not that good at it YET.

I want a job that I can give as much to as I do with Rowing, or with Triathlon. I don't like to do things half-hearted. And boredom makes me mad. As weird as that sounds. This site has really helped with the boredom thing. I am a very passionate person.

--It all ok in the end, and if its not ok, its not the end.

By the way I just got the swingline thing. Wow am I slow.

Too much training, and BT forums, not enough movie time.

I rowed for RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) in college, its in the New York capitol district. We shared our boatouse with SUNY (State University of New York) Albany. I started college as a swimmer, but got cut because I could not make practices ( I was an aeronautical engineering major, really study intensive). THe crew team was a club sport at that time so I said why the hell not, got hooked on it immediatley. By my junior year the Club was large, and our team was doing great. The picture in my profile is my senior year Head of the Charles boat (2001). Our team was a club, but we competed in all the NCAA D3 events, IRA's, Dad Vail, etc.

When I graduated I moved to Long Island an joined the local rowing club, I couldnt row Sweep anymore ( I was a starboard by the way) so i learned to scull. But competing was 10x as hard without a team behind you, and finding a partner or 3 other people for Doubles or QUads was difficult, because I wasnt a masters yet. I still like doing it, but I like my carrer more being an aerospace engineer, so training time is difficult to come by. I can only go after work, and in the fall daylight is limited.

I decided to Tri just to spice things up.

Glad you two have been able to stay into rowing some.  I rowed in HS & college--but that's almost 15 years ago now.  Rowed once after school while living in NYC but, as I was working 80+ hour weeks for the first couple years, getting up at 5am to rip my hands to shreds wasn't much fun.  Would love to get into sculling someday, but I think I'm gonna like this tri stuff

This is my idea of rowing. :-)

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Indeed...I would drive 18+ hours over the weekend to get away from Dallas and hike/camp/take pictures...then look at the pictures throughout the week and think about where I'd head next...Ah...and it's Vail this weekend! Just 1.5 days to get through now!

John,
I used to enjoy picking at my hands during class to gross out some of the sorority chicks. I being one thought it twice the fun.

Kim,
You would be amazed what some people think rowing is, and when they find out the seat moves and most of your power comes from the legs, they look at you like you don't know what you're talking about.
My favorite are the arm motions people make when they ask, "you mean this kind of rowing?"