Ahem...

There's a new Dave Eggers book!!

There's a new Dave Eggers book!!

It's called "How We Are Hungry" and it's a collection of short stories, some previously published and others... not. I've just started it (yeah, I bought it, this is a hint (or possibly an anti-hint) for those of you who may be wondering what to get me for Christmas) but already I've gone back and re-read lines that made me chuckle and I'm only on the second story, for Mithras' sake.

Look: it's even a very beautiful book:

The "dust jacket" is just a thin maroon strip. There's a built-in elastic bookmark. And the smooth black cover is embossed with some kind of griffin or something.

And if you're wondering just who this Eggers fellow is, anyway, go check out "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" and "You Shall Know Our Velocity". He also edits the journal McSweeney's, which I've never actually read (this is an anti-anti-hint).

Very very cool. I'll be devouring this over the next week or so. Maybe less. • 6:22 AM 0 comments

I started my (latest) diet just over a year ago, in mid-November 2003, right before the holiday season. Yes, before -- I know, I am, in fact, crazy.

At any rate, I started losing weight around this time, but by Christmas I was still over 200 lbs. I think. I'm not sure and I don't really want to go back and dig through my notes from the time.

At any any rate, what I'm getting as is that this, November 2004, is my first "thin" (and I use that term advisedly -- I'm only really "thin" from the perspective of where I've been) (where was I? Oh, right) -- this is my first "thin" winter.

And, without my normal layer of insulating blubber, IT. IS. SO. FREAKING. BITTER. COLD. Great grandiloquent Gehenna! How do actual thin people stand this? I feel as though the wind is CUTTING. THROUGH. MY. BONES. like a freakin' bone saw chilled to just below absolute zero. And I dressed (ha! I thought!!!) warmly today -- two t-shirts, a black hoodie, lined winter coat, stocking cap... And yet, and yet, no. Just no. It's still COLD.

Gloves, and scarf, and maybe long underwear... yeah, yeah, that's it. I need more layers. To make up for the layers I've lost. • 6:41 PM 0 comments

So, the cold weather is here, and even though I've broken down and bought some running clothes more suitable for winter, it's still too frickin' cold outside to go running if I do it in the morning before work or in the evening. It's OK to go running on the weekends during the light of day. Sometimes. But the rest of the time, it looks like I'll be running on the treadmill at the gym.

Many years ago... like, oh, say, December 2003... when I first started actually running instead of using the elliptical machine or the stair climbing machine or going for a walk and jogging for 5 pathetic minutes before collapsing in a heap, I ran on a treadmill. Runner friends had told me that running on the treadmill is a lot different than running on a trail, or running on asphalt and concrete. It's easier on your knees and hips, for one thing, because of the extra padding. And it's BORING.

I like running outside, in the sun, watching all the scenery change, seeing other people out. Yeah, yeah, it's weird; after all, I am a geek, more accustomed to the cold glow of a CRT or LCD than the sun. But, it's true. I really like running outside. So the thought of having to go back to the gym, with it's unchanging scenery and the feeling of confinement is not a positive, motivating thought.

Still, the advantage of running on a treadmill is that I can listen to my iPod. iPods do not do well when running, no matter what anyone else will tell you. Sure, iPods have 32 MB of skip protection, but they are still a hard drive, and hard drives are susceptible to shock, and, speaking for myself, I generate a lot of shock when I run. But on a treadmill, I can set the iPod up on the shelf against a towel and listen to my heart's content. Or my ears' content. Whatever.

So since I have music to help motivate me, picking the right music to listen to on the treadmill is important. If I pick some mellow or dour music, even though that's what I really like, it might hurt my pace. Today I got up early to hit the gym before work, and the album I chose to listen to was "Kill Bill Vol. 1".

There's just something about running to the "Green Hornet" theme that really gets my blood pounding... and I think it paid off, too, because I did 2 miles at a blistering (for me) pace of 9:18.5 pace! Whoo-HOOO! Go, me!

I'm going to be working on both pace and distance. When I head back to the gym on Wednesday, I'm going to aim for 2.5 miles at the same pace. Let's see what happens... • 6:39 AM 0 comments

Caleb has been away from the server that runs his site, my site (ta-da!) and Geeks Against Bush, along with all of our email and some other sites I'm not remembering right now. Yeah, can you believe it? He went away for Thanksgiving weekend. As in, out of the range of the internets. Scary, huh? I mean, the server could have fallen over and I would have been without email and my site!

But, it didn't. Yay! Yay for Caleb! Yay for BSD (which powers our sites)! Yay for rock-solid hardware!

Still... next time he goes away I'm hoping he has a contingency plan. • 9:04 PM 0 comments

Shit!

I let the one-year anniversary of this site come and go. I made my first post here on November 1, 2003. It was a rant about my ex, disguised as the beginning of a short story, that I had actually written months previously. It was, sadly, unfinished, very much like the relationship itself was.

In the past year, I've become an amateur runner, I've gotten my weight under 190 (weighed myself this morning and I'm at 185 -- think it's time to trim up again), been to Puerto Vallarta and Coachella and Vegas, met some new friends, helped some old friends... dated and lived and spent money... hmmm... what else? Discovered lots of great new local and not-so-local music, made some money on the side, learned a lot more about BSD and computers and networking... taken in a kitten, took a stand politically, got mentioned in the local news (a couple of times, obliquely)... shit, I know there's more but can't think of it now.

Anyway, happy anniversary Lunar Obverse, here's to hoping you're still going strong in another year. • 6:23 AM 0 comments

OK, Lea's story is starting to percolate into the press. The Oregonian picked it up.

From the article:

In the ruling on Nov. 19, however, the jury did not decide whether Lakeside-Scott's allegations were true, only that she was terminated in February 2002 for airing her complaints in the state filing. That violated the First Amendment, the jury found.

In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of Oregon in 2002, Lakeside-Scott alleged that co-workers and supervisors used county e-mail and phones to conduct personal and social business; that co-workers sent her sexually explicit messages; and that Jann Brown, who was a manager but not Lakeside-Scott's immediate supervisor, showed favoritism by hiring and promoting gay and lesbian employees.

Instead of responding to her complaints, she claims that supervisors retaliated against her by dragging their feet on her requests for ergonomic furniture and refusing to reclassify her position or consider her applications for promotion. She claims her firing was at the behest of Brown, who, according to the complaint, "was (at least in part) motivated to have Scott discharged because of the personal nature of Scott's allegations against her."

This article adds details that I wasn't previously aware of, for instance that the jury didn't rule on whether or not Lea's allegations were true.

Also of interest is that the total award could actually go higher:

He [Judge Michael Mossman] is expected to rule on a second claim brought by Lakeside-Scott under Oregon's whistle-blower law, which makes it a civil rights violation if workers who step forward with complaints are retaliated against. At that time, the judge could award a separate amount of money for lost wages and other non-economic damages.

And the official county response to the verdict?

Lawyers for Lakeside-Scott and the county, and county Chairwoman Diane Linn, declined to comment on the case while aspects of it remain undecided. The county has until next week to file post-trial motions.

• 11:27 AM 0 comments

Strangely this is the only mention in the press (so far) of the six-figure award made in the case I've been posting about. It's the second item from the bottom, to wit:

* Two weeks ago, County Chairwoman Diane Linn warned county employees that workplace discrimination would "not be tolerated." Whaddya know?! Last Friday a federal jury said it wouldn't tolerate it either, fining the county $650,000 for retaliating against a whistleblower at the Department of Community Justice. Computer trainer Lea Lakeside-Scott alerted her supervisor about favoritism and discrimination, and followed up with a complaint to the state Bureau of Labor and Industries--after which the county fired her. Lakeside-Scott sued in 2002. The verdict is not quite final, but some county employees are viewing it as a referendum on Linn, who in 2003 promoted Jann Brown, the manager who was allegedly the prime retaliator.

• 4:19 PM 0 comments

About three and a half years ago, one of my coworkers, Lea, discovered evidence of illegal hiring practices and discrimination. Favoritism and inappropriate behavior between bosses and their employees. She tried to bring it to the attention of her immediate supervisor but while her initial reception was good, eventually her boss closed ranks with the other managers who were involved, leaving my friend out in the cold and in fear of retaliation.

Lea was volunteering on the side to assist teenage girls who were in juvenile detention, trying to give them useful and fun activities. The county, which was both her employer and the provider of juvenile detention, publicly praised Lea as a positive example of a public employee involved with the community, putting in more than her share of time and effort towards those who most needed help. Upper management encouraged Lea to work on what she called the Hope Dolls project during work hours, provided her other work was also done.

But the feared retaliation came. It came, at first, in small ways -- managers cutting her off in mid-sentence, rolling their eyes when she spoke, speaking against her to other employees. As the whisper campaign against Lea spread to the higher managers, they cut back on the time she was allowed to work on Hope Dolls. Then they cut her off completely.

Lea saw the writing on the wall. Being a public employee, she knew that, in theory, she had the protections provided by her union, AFSCME Local 88. She turned to me.

Continue reading • 1:20 PM 0 comments

I know, I know, I promised a longer post. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot to post about. Haven't finished processing the trial I was just a witness in. I'm sure most of you out there in Blogsylvania are tired of reading about my running, but, hell, I only post that stuff for my own benefit.

I did run tonight, 3.4 miles, around 32 minutes. Tried to focus on "just keep going" but had to stop a couple of times (once to pee because I didn't go before I left the house). Even though it was kinda chilly outside (low 50s, it felt like, here, let me check the Weather channel - current temp is 48 degrees F), and even though I just dropped $123 on running pants and a long-sleeved running shirt, I went in shorts and a short-sleeved singlet. I did wear a cap. Oh, and my new Brooks flashing light, for visibility. Damn, I'm buying a lot of technical clothes and running equipment.

What else is going on? Not too much. • 10:07 PM 0 comments

Quick note since one of the 3 or 4 readers of this blog have been nagging me to update (longer post later):

Testified in court today. Stressful, I forgot to bring up some stuff that may have been important (but I found out later that another witness testified to that fact, so at least it got out there), and I hope the plaintiff wins big. She deserves it.

Going for a run. No speedwork, just a 2 or 3 mile run to burn off some stress. • 5:42 PM 0 comments

Attention!

My apologies -- my site and my email has been unavailable for the past 24 hours. As you can see, it is working now (thanks to Caleb!) but if you sent me some email that was really important in the last day, you might want to send it again.

Although, most of the email I get is just friends saying "hi" (hi, back!) or spam. In fact, I got 10 pieces of spam in the past 24 hours. But, hey, whatever. • 8:42 PM 0 comments

Let's assume you're being asked to do something that you have no legal obligation to do. Let's assume that you're being asked to do this thing by your employer, that your employer is a defendant in a lawsuit. Let's assume that the thing you're being asked to do is to talk to the defendant's lawyer about the case, just you and the attorney, even though you're a witness for the plaintiff.

Let's assume that you respectfully decline to meet with the defendant's lawyer (in other words, your employer's lawyer). Further, you decline several times, but they press hard and get your boss's boss to ask you, which turns it into an issue of insubordination.

Assuming all that... isn't that intimidating? Isn't that the word you would use, privately, amongst friends, to describe the position your employer is taking? • 6:36 AM 0 comments

Three years ago, a coworker of mine was investigated by my employer, and eventually terminated. However, prior to being investigated, she had filed a complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI), alleging harassment and discrimination from management. After being terminated, my coworker and her lawyer added retaliation to the charges.

Since I was the employee's shop steward at the time I had a passing familiarity with the case. In fact, at the time, my boss called me into his office and strongly cautioned me about how I involved myself with it. I found out later that that could have been considered illegal threatening of a steward, a huge no-no for management. Since I was a fledgeling steward, I didn't pursue it at the time.

Recently, I found out, from the legal department at my place of employment, that I was being called as a witness in the case, which is only now ready to come to trial. The wheels of justice, yadda yadda. Since I was aware that I was being called by the plaintiff, and my employer was the defendant in the trial, I knew that I really didn't have any obligation to talk to the lawyers for the defendant. I checked with my union rep and, sure enough, he agreed that I didn't have to speak to them. If they insisted, I should speak to them, but then we would look into grieving it.

After getting the letter from the lawyer, several days went by. Then I received an email (addressed to me and several others) requesting a meeting. I ignored the email and remained busy with work. Last Thursday I received a follow-up email, asking for a meeting once again. I replied that I respectfully declined.

That led to a series of emails back and forth, each more strongly worded than the other. I pointed out that, if I was being ordered to meet with the lawyer, I would, but failing that, I declined.

The carefully-worded emails from the legal department, however sugar-coated, could be interpreted as intimidation and threats. Y'know, in a certain context. However, they picked the exact wrong week to try to intimidate me. Tyrants need to be challenged; bullies need to be stood up to. I hope that those who wronged my coworker (and, indirectly, myself and my other employees), and have abused both their managerial power and the trust of their workers and the taxpayers and citizens of Multnomah County, will finally have to face the consequences of their actions. • 6:43 PM 0 comments

Changed the format of my tables on my running log page for Speed Weeks! It makes more sense to keep track of the intervals or laps that I do, rather than total miles and times and paces and all that. • 3:15 PM 0 comments

Sorry I haven't updated much this week. I've got post-election, preparing for the pogrom, blues.

Ran today (yeah, I haven't been updating my running log, either. Sorry, sorry). It was my long run, 5+ miles. I normally do it on Friday, by leaving a change of clothes at work on Thursday and then running to work in the morning, but since I was home sick on Thursday I, well, didn't.

So I did it in reverse today, by taking a bus downtown and then running home.

Since it's still Speed Week!, the plan was to warm up, then run the middle three miles of the run at a significantly faster pace than my normal, then cool down.

And I did!

My first mile was 8:59, my second was 9:16, and my last was 9:08.

I am awesome. My speedwork is helping. I'm going to do one more week of speedwork and then go back to endurance. Or I might design a 3-week cycle that will include a mix of long runs, speedwork, and weight training. Dunno. I'm being influenced by this month's issue of Runner's World magazine. • 11:32 PM 0 comments

Work, America. Keep working. Your president and his staff of rich old white men require your hard work, your sweat, and the blood of your sons and daughters, in order for them to have more money and inflate their flaccid tiny pricks for another fucking. "Freedom" is on the march, they're stealing your "democracy" and shipping it overseas, but you, the one with hopes and dreams, you just keep your head down, be fearful of the dark-skinned men in beards and the men who want to marry each other. Shuffle along, willingly put your head in the noose and just never ever ask any fucking questions. They know what they're doing. And you don't. You don't know what they're doing, because you love Jesus and you love America, you know, you read about this back in your state-run school, back when you did read, before all the flashy pictures of wife-swapping and explosions on the teevee distracted you, before they taught you to hate the smart people, you wouldn't want to be a smart person, would you? Smart people don't drink beer and have sex, no, their locked in their mom's basement eating bag after bag of cheese-flavored crunchy snacks. Just keep fearing when they tell you to fear, just keep listening while they've switched your participation and citizenship with a glitzy blue-but-mostly-red map and talking heads telling you what to feel (not telling you what to think, no, 'cause thinking's bad and, hell, even the president don't think, does he? He just roots out terror and flips the bird at anyone who disagrees with him and marches his toy soldiers off to die for "liberty".

Work, and sleep, and drink your hard-earned domestic beer and listen when your pastor lies to you about what Jesus says and fear, fear, fear what they want you to fear. And when the world attacks you because you're an American, and your leaders call them "terrorists", make sure and completely misunderstand both why they're attacking and what America really has become. • 8:33 AM 0 comments

Ran tonight. It's still Speed Week! (or ...Weeks! since this is the second one) so I'm still doing track intervals and stuff like that.

Today was track intervals -- 1.4 miles to warm up (and get to the track), then alternate single laps (400 meters) at better than an 8:00 pace with walking fast/jogging for 2-3 minutes, then run home. Here's my times for each stage:

• Warm up run -- ~15
  
• Lap 1 -- 1:49
  
• Lap 2 -- 1:53
  
• Lap 3 -- 1:42
  
• Lap 4 -- 1:52
  
• Cool down run -- ~17:30

My best lap was around a 6:50 pace; my worst lap was around a 7:34 pace. My warmup time = 12:30. My cool-down time = 10:42. Yay, me! Total mileage (including my fast walking laps) is 4.8 miles. • 9:26 PM 0 comments