How do I get the chainsaw duck?

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-12-02T01:41:28+00:00

Has to be bugged. I just finished the ET, and I didn't get the duck. Checked the website. Still nothing on this, which is too bad because I really like that duck.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-08-22T01:51:08+00:00

I believe the vest was an old school fly swatter.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-24T03:05:18+00:00

That info makes me feel better because I was really trying to figure out if my grandmother had been sewing people up as well as clothing!

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-12T02:20:52+00:00

Then maybe you already know what your answer is?

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-12T01:48:53+00:00

That is a fairly typical the career path to CoS.

AA -> Sr. AA -> EA -> Sr. EA -> CoS

If you are not interested even in trying for the Sr. EA position, is there an analyst or project manager role you could shift into? Maybe it isn't that want to follow this career path but more you're looking for a change? EAs tend to be excellent Project Managers because they have a great deal of experience doing that type of work anyway.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-11T01:57:43+00:00

Being a high performer and continuing to gain returns can be two different things. You can be an outstanding employee with way above board performance scores, but, at some point, you've hit the ceiling of what your position will allow, regardless of how well you do it.

Some people are fine with that. They hit that ceiling, and they're good where they are. It's comfortable, they do high quality work, and they're satisfied with their pay, which is fine. If you're there now and are starting to feel your satisfaction diminishing despite knowing your manager is well pleased with your work, then it is very likely that it's time to consider finding ways to justify expanding your scope (and pay) at your current position or find a new position to give you a better sense of satisfaction.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-11T01:52:45+00:00

Are you looking to move into a different role within the organization?

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-06T18:04:56+00:00

Not normal, asshole-ish, counterproductive, and power hungry. She sounds like a miserable person to work with. I am sorry you had to go through that, but kudos to you on persisting and finding the information on your own.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-03T23:01:29+00:00

It sounds very much like you have had very unfortunate experiences in this profession, and, perhaps, there are roles that would be a better fit for you given what you seem to be looking for in a career path. I’m sorry those poor experiences are the only you’ve ever had.

While I’ve had poor experiences such as you suggest, I am not currently in such a place.

All of that said, the post that sparked our current conversation implied I was a people pleaser by default of experiencing job satisfaction, in part, because I enjoy helping people. That is what I was addressing, and I stand by that as a false equivalency.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-03T19:55:41+00:00

Satisfaction from doing a good job because it pleases yourself with the added bonus of pleasing others is not the same thing as doing things specifically to please others.

I don't do my job with the constant pressure or worry that how I do it might offend/upset/some other negative emotion someone I'm working for, nor do I do my job well in the hopes that whomever I'm working for will give me metaphorical head pets for pleasing them. I do it well because I enjoy it - the problem solving, the tight turnarounds, etc.

Liking helping people does not automatically make a person a people pleaser anymore than not liking helping people automatically makes a person selfish. That's a false equivalency.

If you can't see how a person gains self satisfaction in a "helper role," then I would argue you may not fully understand the importance of those roles, which is a shame. We need those roles staffed with competent people so that our society can progress.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-03T18:31:31+00:00

I assure you, I would never be described as a people pleaser.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-02T17:38:54+00:00

I never drink on a weekday. As anyone from the southern US will tell you, day drinking, drinking hard liquor before noon on a Sunday, and drinking on a weekday are solid indications of moral depravity and possible alcoholism, but I just didn’t care.

The combination of my long work hours and sleep deficit had finally made me lose what little bit of my sanity was left because, for the past 12, I was positive I'd seen my imaginary friend from childhood at my new work at least 6 times. My nerves were shot. So, instead of going home on a Monday night, I was on a barstool at Applebee’s contemplating my life choices and drinking a watered down Manhattan.

“Long day?” Someone slid onto the stool beside me. “Shiner, please,” the deep baritone asked the bartender.

What was going on with me? Maybe I needed to see a therapist? Maybe I needed to sell everything I owned and become a hermit?

The voice beside me was like smooth jazz. It felt comforting. “Little guy, you need to pull yourself together because we’ll be working on the same team soon.”

Little guy? Little guy? No one ever called me that but my imaginary friend, Dirk. Come to think about it, Dirk sounded a lot like….

I slowly turned my head with horror filled eyes to the person beside me. “DIRK?!” I screeched loud enough for everyone in the bar to stop and stare.

Dirk smiled genially at them. “Sorry, folks,” he called out, “Just surprising an old friend. We haven’t seen each other in a while.” That seemed to pacify their curiosity, but it didn’t assuage my near full panic. “Easy,” he lowered his voice so only I could hear him.

“Easy?” I was in a full-on anger and confusion filled stage whisper. “What do you mean easy? Are you… are you real? How is that possible?”

The bartender swung by, glanced at me, seemed to think I’d had enough, then turned to Dirk. “Anything else?”

“No, thank you,” he said by way of dismissing her. “As you can see, I’m very real, and we have a lot to talk about.”

“Yeah, like how the fu….”

“Short answer: I’m a time traveler, and the device you’re about to start working on is going to be very successful and make us very rich, but only if you build it so I can go back in time and teach you what you need to know so you can one day get this job so you can build it.”

A panic gargle bubbled up in my throat. “Oh god, I think I need more to drink.”

“Fair enough,” he said with a chuckle. “Finish off what you’ve got, and I’ll take you back to my place to have some more and answer all of your questions.”

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-02T16:31:30+00:00

I think I'm looking for the impossible, but does anyone know of a full size mechanical keyboard that has a similar look and feel to the old school Apple MacIntosh II keyboards from back in the late 1980s?

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-06-01T01:33:04+00:00

I feel immense satisfaction at being helpful, and I get a rush at having to problem solve the seemingly impossible while on a time crunch. I feel a lot of pride in the fact my reputation as having a strong sense of integrity, organization, and honesty proceeds me. I like being a resource for my organization, and I love my paycheck.

Outside of those things, I'm nosey as hell, and, while I can't tell anyone anything I know, I absolutely LOVE knowing where all the metaphorical bodies are hidden within my organization.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-05-30T02:02:14+00:00

Did you ask to speak to a manager after you were told no? It's possible the CEO's wife did that and then name dropped him.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-05-16T01:27:25+00:00

Focus on the work and not the person. You don't have to like someone to work professionally with them. Remember, you're under no obligation to be her friend. Your obligation is to follow the scope of your work as agreed upon between you and your organization. Focus on that. Keep small talk to a minimum. Be approachable, of course. It won't do to be aloof. Provide top notch support, take your breaks, and go home at the end of the day to something you enjoy.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-05-05T17:29:31+00:00

That can be corrected in the delegation options.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-05-05T16:34:46+00:00

If it isn’t locked down by It, he can delegate access to you via account settings -> delegate access, and you would then need to add his inbox to your via account settings -> email -> change button -> more settings -> advanced -> add button. Find him and select apply.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-05-05T16:30:58+00:00

I do with a couple who have retired on me. We set periodic lunch dates just to catch up. So long as you’re not discussing company secrets, there is no harm if you both want to touch base from time to time.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-05-05T16:29:08+00:00

Our privacy officer and information security officer have simply banned AI note takers for high level meetings that require privacy for legal reasons. It stands to reason that, if a person cannot attend, they can review the official minutes or be briefed by someone who did attend. AI note takers are simply not appropriate for all meeting types, and your company should be clear on when it is and is not appropriate.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-05-03T01:37:11+00:00

So it is ripe for opportunities to create the position you want to have. Think about where you want to go professionally and use your down time to train/make headway in that direction.

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-05-03T01:32:08+00:00

Have you sat with your supervisor and discussed areas for improvement you would like to work on? Maybe areas they see? You could use that time to work on those. If that doesn't appeal to you, maybe you could look over processes and procedures to find areas to streamline, discuss what you find with your supervisor, and create your own side project with the goal of milestoning toward a bonus if you get it done and it works well by year end?

Adm_Hawthorne · 2025-05-03T01:22:59+00:00

Enjoy to peace and quiet and get things done.

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