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05-17-2013, 12:38 PM
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#221
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,240
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Tech Support analysts (really, the manager) who think that the requirements of the product are the opposite of whatever we didn't say. This morning, the guy starts complaining that the product doesn't do XXX. The specs don't say that the product does XXX. The documentation doesn't say that the product does XXX. The promotional materials don't say that the product does XXX. His perspective is that, because the customer wants it to do XXX, it is a bug that it doesn't, given that we didn't say the product wouldn't do XXX.
I have no problem with the guy putting in a design change request, but he's the one who is setting the customers' expectations, and he continually goes off the deep end ratifying whatever demands the customer puts forward without regard to what we promised the customer, with regard to how much it would cost to give the customer what they're demanding now, and without regard to how giving that customer what they're demanding now will harm other customers. It is impossible to keep customers happy when our main contact with the customers is routinely driving customers toward dissatisfaction by fostering in them expectations for the product that we never actually set forth to satisfy.
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05-17-2013, 01:17 PM
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#222
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Crownsville
Posts: 3,745
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Lately, I've been taking issue with these pompous, entitled little jerks that try to walk right through you in the hallway, like you don't even exist. In fact, just a few minutes ago, I was coming out of our kitchen, with a glass of chocolate milk in hand, and a woman walking towards me, instead of staying to her right decided she wanted "her half out in the middle" as my Granddad used to say. Ended up barely grazing me, and she's lucky she didn't end up with a milk bath, because I had the glass in that hand!
And, she just kept right on walking, no "excuse me" "pardon me" or anything.
I know it's minor and petty, but I look at it as some kind of power trip when people do that. Unless they're really just THAT absent-minded, that a 6'3", 200 pound person just doesn't register with their vision?!
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05-17-2013, 01:51 PM
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#223
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Leeward Oahu
Posts: 17,888
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre1969
Lately, I've been taking issue with these pompous, entitled little jerks that try to walk right through you in the hallway, like you don't even exist. In fact, just a few minutes ago, I was coming out of our kitchen, with a glass of chocolate milk in hand, and a woman walking towards me, instead of staying to her right decided she wanted "her half out in the middle" as my Granddad used to say. Ended up barely grazing me, and she's lucky she didn't end up with a milk bath, because I had the glass in that hand!
And, she just kept right on walking, no "excuse me" "pardon me" or anything.
I know it's minor and petty, but I look at it as some kind of power trip when people do that. Unless they're really just THAT absent-minded, that a 6'3", 200 pound person just doesn't register with their vision?!
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Heh, heh, if that's the worst part of your j*b, I would be thankful. But, to answer your implied question: There are folks who are, indeed, that absent minded. However, I do find (just me personally - not lobbing a hand grenade here) that younger folks (20's to 30's) seem to have more of a self-important, self absorbed attitude. I see it on the street and I see it in stores, etc. (Remember, I'm just saying what I have observed, anecdotally - not professing to be a psychologist). However, I have read that raising children without losers (everyone is a "winner" and everyone gets an equal prize in the school contests, etc. etc.) breeds this type of attitude. Read more than one article suggesting there will be a price to pay for enhancing EVERYONE's self esteem. Not saying I agree or disagree with the authors. That's what my kids got at school (for the most part). I'm just saying there may be some unintended consequences. Your experience could be a consequence. (Naturally, YMMV).
__________________
Ko'olau's Law -
Anything which can be used can be misused. Anything which can be misused will be.
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05-17-2013, 07:38 PM
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#224
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: The Beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains
Posts: 2,791
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Looks like as good as any thread to vent in tonight.
Worst part of my j*b? Project Managers who pile on the work, get mad when something doesn't get done, then berate you for exceeding budget.
Today, I was using our intraoffice instant messaging program (Microsoft Lync) to ask the PM a question, he answered the first message with a question, then as I was typing in the answer he suddenly goes offline. Thinking his computer crashed I simply left my answer up on one monitor while getting back to work on the other. A half hour goes by and the phone rings, it's him asking for the answer. I casually mentioned that his machine must have crashed, and he answered, "no, I don't like using Lync. You have to send me email instead." WTF? So he basically hung up on me and then was irritated that I didn't get back to him quicker. I know the real reason - he wants a recording of what was said so he can hang me with it later.
So, back to the thread title. The worst part of my job is dealing with overwork, a-hole PM's, peers who don't hold up their end, and all that.
OK, it's looking more and more like I should make a commitment in that Class of 2013 thread.
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05-19-2013, 06:58 AM
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#225
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Crownsville
Posts: 3,745
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Koolau
Heh, heh, if that's the worst part of your j*b, I would be thankful.).
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Oh, I am thankful, no doubt about that! It's actually a fairly easy, cushy job. Boring though. I think the fact that something so petty is getting on my nerves is a sign that I'm itching to pull the retirement trigger, and just looking for any excuse!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Koolau
But, to answer your implied question: There are folks who are, indeed, that absent minded. However, I do find (just me personally - not lobbing a hand grenade here) that younger folks (20's to 30's) seem to have more of a self-important, self absorbed attitude.
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Yeah, I've been noticing that too. At my job, that self-absorbed attitude seems to run the gamut from young to old, but I have noticed it more among younger people. Not ALL of 'em, mind you, but enough to make generalizations.
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05-20-2013, 07:16 AM
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#226
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Bushnell
Posts: 607
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I spent a few hours yesterday doing some spring cleaning. Before leaving MegaCorp I had saved a huge pile of work-related documents that I thought I might want or could be of interest in ER. In total the documents had stacked about 3 feet high. But now, ER'ed for about 1 1/2 years, I realized there was actually no use after all in keeping all of these old documents that had seemed important enough to pack away in the waning days of my employment.
The thing that struck me as I was finally hauling this pile of paper to the shredder was the vast quantity of performance reviews, objectives, HR-related profiles, and other bureaucracy-driven forms I had completed over the course of my 12 years at my final company. In addition to the hours of annual objective setting and mid year and year end evaluations we were forced to complete for ourselves and our direct reports, we also spent hours on organizational health surveys and psychological self-analyses meant to "improve" our performance. One year it was the Myers-Briggs, the next it was FIRO-B, and so on.
So much time spent, so much paper, and in the end, what for? What was so important to agonize over in, say, 2006 or 2010, is today worth nothing, garbage.
I am convinced that much of the HR function is self-perpetuating, a bureaucracy dedicated to justifying its existence via endless forms, questionnaires and processes that really contribute little to the top line or bottom line results of the business.
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05-20-2013, 08:20 AM
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#227
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,654
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I recently changed jobs and have been getting a bellyful of this behavior from 20-something employees. Previously I was not inclined to be cynical about them one bit. However, the ones I work with in this job, all seem to have been told by higher management that they're the smartest people in the world, indispensable, and ever so much savvier than older people, and they obviously believe it to the max. They are pretty good, but they don't have the background or experience to back up their arrogant attitudes. (Plus they steal my medically-prescribed back support chair when I'm not there, because it's nicer than the standard chairs, and use it like a recliner, which is starting to ruin it. I better not catch them on our lawn).
Amethyst
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre1969
O. At my job, that self-absorbed attitude seems to run the gamut from young to old, but I have noticed it more among younger people. Not ALL of 'em, mind you, but enough to make generalizations.
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__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
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05-20-2013, 08:36 AM
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#228
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 7,746
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst
I recently changed jobs and have been getting a bellyful of this behavior from 20-something employees. Previously I was not inclined to be cynical about them one bit. However, the ones I work with in this job, all seem to have been told by higher management that they're the smartest people in the world, indispensable, and ever so much savvier than older people, and they obviously believe it to the max. They are pretty good, but they don't have the background or experience to back up their arrogant attitudes.
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Maybe they are the smartest people in the world.
__________________
Retired in 2013 at age 33. Keeping busy reading, blogging, relaxing, gaming, and enjoying the outdoors with my wife and 3 kids (8, 13, and 15).
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05-20-2013, 08:40 AM
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#229
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Charleston, SC
Posts: 13,566
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FUEGO
Maybe they are the smartest people in the world.
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Trust me, they're not!
I call them (or at least the one I tolerate daily) Unicorns, because they are so special and rare and we are lucky to even get to see them.
__________________
“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.”
Gerard Arthur Way
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05-20-2013, 08:43 AM
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#230
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 7,746
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarah in SC
Trust me, they're not!
I call them (or at least the one I tolerate daily) Unicorns, because they are so special and rare and we are lucky to even get to see them.
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I don't know, I'm pretty happy with my 20-something workers. Dirt cheap, scrapping for work, trying to impress, not cynical (yet), and no overbearing sense of self-importance (yet). Seems the more experience one gets, the more they seem to feel mediocre is ok. Just a personal observation, and it could be industry specific.
__________________
Retired in 2013 at age 33. Keeping busy reading, blogging, relaxing, gaming, and enjoying the outdoors with my wife and 3 kids (8, 13, and 15).
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05-20-2013, 08:45 AM
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#231
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Charleston, SC
Posts: 13,566
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TOTALLY INDUSTRY SPECIFIC!!!!!! Gaaahhh! The ones I know are very entitled, very lazy, and very "me" oriented.
__________________
“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching.”
Gerard Arthur Way
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05-20-2013, 09:21 AM
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#232
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 7,746
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarah in SC
TOTALLY INDUSTRY SPECIFIC!!!!!! Gaaahhh! The ones I know are very entitled, very lazy, and very "me" oriented.
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Oh wait, they don't give you unfettered hire/fire power where you work?
Just axed a bunch of extremely highly paid non-responsive barely contributing unicorns last week. Thinning the herd a little. Efficiency is important.
__________________
Retired in 2013 at age 33. Keeping busy reading, blogging, relaxing, gaming, and enjoying the outdoors with my wife and 3 kids (8, 13, and 15).
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05-21-2013, 07:56 PM
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#233
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Marietta, GA
Posts: 124
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Dealing with idiots, I feel like that's what I spend half my day doing. I enjoy clients, but internal coworkers at time drive me nuts. Do megacorps just breed cynicism?
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05-21-2013, 08:26 PM
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#234
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,654
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No, it's that way everywhere. There is a reason why they are called cow-orkers!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chasesfish
Dealing with idiots, I feel like that's what I spend half my day doing. I enjoy clients, but internal coworkers at time drive me nuts. Do megacorps just breed cynicism?
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__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
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05-21-2013, 08:37 PM
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#235
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
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Lately I have nothing to do for days at a time. I know this will not be the case forever, but it is harder to sit in the cube all day and stare at the walls than it is to actually do the work.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
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05-22-2013, 06:04 PM
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#236
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Portland
Posts: 4,946
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345
Lately I have nothing to do for days at a time. I know this will not be the case forever, but it is harder to sit in the cube all day and stare at the walls than it is to actually do the work.
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Ah! I've seen THIS before. Develop an on-the-job hobby, and explain it as a way to 'stretch' and develop new job skills.
Actual ones I've witnessed:
1) Be proactive and perform 'preventive maintenance' on the copy machine. Bonus points for disassembling to the point where the hallway is completely blocked with parts.
2) Redecorate. Take some initiative and repaint your work space. Bonus points if you surprise the facilities manager to the point where he is unable to express his gratitude.
3) Got cubicles? Redesign the cubicle array layout to provide exciting new pathways between your favorite destinations.
4) Take up paddleball.
5) Learn to fly. Those new miniature four-rotor drone aircraft are ideal for practicing missions down hallways or over the cubicle farm.
Just trying to be helpful...
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05-25-2013, 05:04 PM
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#237
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 2,179
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst
(Plus they steal my medically-prescribed back support chair when I'm not there, because it's nicer than the standard chairs, and use it like a recliner, which is starting to ruin it. I better not catch them on our lawn).
Amethyst
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Just tell another co-worker (and let the young punks overhear you) that you happened to develop a case of bed bugs in your house, and have the exterminator over several times, and that the doctor recommended that no one drive your car or come over to your house to sit on your furniture while the exterminator is doing their thing. And throw in an absent-minded scratch of your leg while you're telling the coworker this (again, in view of the young punks using your chair).
Should keep them off of it for at least a little while....
__________________
Dryer sheets Schmyer sheets
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05-28-2013, 11:00 AM
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#238
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 75
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Politics.
It's a great business with some great people but we do SO many dumb things just for political reasons. Been here for 17 years and it only gets more political.
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05-28-2013, 10:58 PM
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#239
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,089
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For a while, I was the only staff in our California office. Everyone else on our team is in other states. I was quite isolated.
This all changed last year when company actually encouraged working from home. So, I filled out my application and granted approval. I now work from home. At least, I can watch some TV and listen to some music. My commute now is about 10 seconds. I am still isolated. DW said I am practicing retirement now and getting paid for it too.
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05-29-2013, 08:30 PM
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#240
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 18,085
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Help, I am drowning in horseshit and everyone around me keeps tossing me a cinderblock when they see me about to submerge!
Today was really "special." This is allegedly "employee appreciation week" which translates to a few comped meals served by management (it is very awkward to have officers scooping out your mashed potatoes). For some reason, top brass chose this week to have today's forced 6 hour videoconference among all offices where they blathered about strategic direction, how wonderful it is that we are running under budget (by not paying us), and how cost control will require expense management (i.e. we will not be paying you in the future, either). I finally escaped only to get dragged into a 2 and a half hour conference call where some of my chief tormenters argued the whole time about unbelievably trivial nonsense that nobody on the call has the power to change in any case.
I don't know how I will make it through the next 6 to 8 months. I can barely force myself out of the truck in the morning when I get to the train station lot. I wonder how many sick days I can take. I am getting real close to getting back into the truck one morning and disappearing into the mountains with a rifle and a pack.
__________________
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
- George Orwell
Ezekiel 23:20
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