36 posts tagged “work” (page 3)

I don't typically use this blog as a forum to get in to work/finance topics... partly to keep my firm name quiet (and my job intact), but also because I like to use this as an escape from Finance-land not a place to regularly discuss it.... 

But, today, I couldn't go without commenting on this MORON that was on TV trying to analyze the Analysts.  This video shown on CNBC shows how stupid commentary people can be... His fundamental analysis is flawed using only two categories "Outperform" and "Underperform" what about "Market Perform" - so right there his logic doesn't make sense...

AND, the firms at the top of this list are so small that they barely put out research.  If you are only following 50 stocks, as a firm, you better pick good stocks to follow - you wouldn't follow stocks that aren't doing well, so logically, your Market Outperforms would be more selective.  If you work in a research department of any size, you follow a multitude of sectors (which are constantly in and out of favor).  65% isn't very meaningful when you realize that they only had 24 stock "calls"....  Just this week my team alone made 4 "calls" (rating changes).  That was our one team in one week... how big is the "best" company, if in ONE YEAR they had 24 calls.  Give me a break!

After a little finagaling here in the office, I was able to access my blog like normal - YEAH!  A ray of sunshine on another crappy day.  Hopefully, this means I will be OK going forward, and not just a fluke. 

I'm an unpleasant person to be around today.... Poor Steve, my office-spouse.

The director of my department, who I could write multiple comments on (two words: Sexual Harrassment) made some inappropriate/lame joke this morning about giving my bonus it to our new Junior.  He follow by saying "he's just joking" which is his cover for {I know I'm being inappropriate}. My response was a blank face (because he is constantly making inappropriate jokes about firing us, analysts being overpaid, etc...) he continued to joke about it and I finally got snippy and said I wasn't laughing because I didn't think it was funny or appropriate to joke about giving away someone's bonus.  He replied that he "didn't know I would be so sensitive about it", to which I replied, "I'm not being sensitive, I just don't think its an appropriate comment".  This is a CONSTANT INTERACTION with him and all of us  - joking that he could have you fired.  How is that funny?  I've become increasingly un-amused as it goes on.  Last week, two days after our new junior started he told me that since the "newbie" was so good, he didn't need me or my analyst around and he could fire us.  To which I replied "fine with me, since you'll have to pay out my guarantee".  To which he commented that it was a joke, blah, blah, blah... and I just ignored him and stared at my computer (the only way to get him to leave and find a new target in the office).   

This story would make a little more sense if I had been commenting more frequently on my run-ins with this jackass.  I haven't had it in me to bring this up... its a yucky topic and its bad enough I need to deal with it on a regular basis - never really feel up to regurgitating in print....  Sounds like he's getting the AX soon, so hopefully, this won't be a problem much longer....

THEN, shortly after that, I learn that my boss is going away for the weekend, which she hadn't told us previously, and was leaving the the airport, NOW.  Um, thanks for keeping us in the loop - its freakin' earnings season, the market is all over the place, and we are busy as hell!!!  She doesn't normally pull this crap.  Not only did she bail early today, but she's going to be MIA visiting a potential client MOnday morning while we have one of our biggest companies reporting.  Thanks a lot! 

GRRRR..... so, I got lots of work to do and I've already fallen behind studying for the "exam".    

Tonight, I got home from a busy day of work at 6pm; caught up with email, played on the computer (uploaded photos - finally!), and futzted around the house until dinner.  After about an hour of TV with Adam, we "hit the books" for about an hour (should have been longer).....  and then I spent the next HOUR getting ready for the next couple of days....

I made myself two lunches (tmrw & Wed), bfast & dinner for tomorrow, and fruit snacks to last me the week....  then, I got outfits ready for the next few days, packed up my toiletries, and got my workout clothes laid out .....  what a lot of planning!!!!

Tomorrow, I plan on attending a SPIN (stationary bike) class at the gym before work - it starts at 6:45am, so I'll be a zombie leaving the apartment in the morning and want to be able to "grab & go" without much thinking.... I'll go straight to the office from there, and then straight from work to my "exam" class, which won't let out until 9:30pm, if I'm lucky.  I prepped some for Wed so I wouldn't have to do it tomorrow night.... 

I'm a big Sunday night prepper... I like getting clothes ironed for the week and some food-prep done to make things go smoother when we get home and are in a rush to cook.  I can only imagine how much more prep will come with kids.  Yikes!  It looks like some form of tonight's routine is going to become a weekly staple as I try to juggle a busy work schedule and regular exercise around this study regime.  Ugh.  Is it December yet? 

Not being able to post from work has really slowed down my ability to share... I have lots of fun/random/quirky stories to share from the last week and a half, but haven't had the energy when't I've come home from work.  Last week I was in NYC from Monday to Wednesday, have a fun Seinfeld-esque story about that trip.... Wednesday afternoon I launched coverage of another stock that is officially my responsibility....  lots of other things here-and-there to talk about.... 

Tomorrow our new Associate starts - I finally get to start doing my *real* job instead of being the helper to my senior analyst. YEAH!!!  Big deal for me...

"Exam" studying officially began... should have been last weekend, but if I'm going to be honest, it really wasn't until today that I really started the reading-- and I only did an hour, so I"m not exactly off to a great start.... Ethics - such a snoozer.  I need to redo this section at the end anyway, and the material is straightforward and similar to all the securities exams I've already taken, so I'm not too worried about knowing the particular material... not a great way to come out of the gate though.  My first class is Tuesday night after work, for 3.5 hours - ugh.  Next is Quant, which is a tuffy for me.... 

We offered to cat sit for one of my work friends... he and his wife were over for fondue last week and mentioned that they were taking a vacation soon.  That night I shared the story of another cat we took care of - Basil.  We had a scare within 10min of him being dropped off, because I thought I might have left the window in the bedroom open and he fell out.  We live on the 26th floor - it wouldn't have been pretty  (We had neighbors that lost a cat like this).  The window turned out to be shut and Basil was hiding in our closet....  crisis averted.

Today, I asked my friend if this was the weekend that we were due to cat-sit - it is.  He told me that he "didn't trust his cat" and didn't need us to watch him afterall.  When I pressed further, he shared that he was worried that cat would walk out on the window ledge.  I told him that in this awful heat there was no threat of us opening any windows, so nothing to worry about... no dice.  He swore it wasn't that he didn't trust me, he just didn't trust his cat.  

Well, its not like the cat could open up the window - so what he was really saying was that he didn't trust me/us.  I felt like such a loser! 

One of the guys I worked with told me about the dilema he was having regarding his wife's birthday.  They both play tennis and she wants a new tennis racquet.  The question he posed to me was whether or not he could just give her his racquet to her as a birthday present.  He isn't a big fan of his racquet and she has been demo-ing different racquets and likes his racquet and grap the best.  He figures that since he isn't in love with his racquet anyway, he will give it to her and just buy himself a new one. 

My answer: Definitely Not!!!  This reminded me of the Simpson's episode where Homer buys Marge a bowling ball for her birthday - i think it might have even had his name on it. 

I told him he could still give her his racquet and buy himself a new one, but not as a birthday present.  Back to square one.  It was pretty funny!!!

Its a ghost town in the office today.  Attendance was sparce this morning, but is practically non-existent now after 3pm.  We have two interns that couldn't believe it was so empty, and I love the analogy I came up with to explain it.

The office on a Friday is the equivalent to having a substitute teacher for studyhall.  Attendance is optional, and even if you show up, you don't have to do anything.... 

Random, I know....  just thought I'd share. 

Today is the birthday of our new Research Associate (RA), D.  He mentioned this to me yesterday I told him that if I had known earlier I would bake him some brownies.  An former RA used to do this for the guys in the dept that she was friends with and I decided to keep the tradition going when she left.

Now, before you think this odd, let me share some corporate background.  Our department used to collect money for each birthday and do the whole "sing happy birthday and have cake" routine - it got pretty tiring constantly being hit up for a couple of bucks, so we switched to a policy of, just having people bring something in to celebrate their own birthday....  The women in the department would do this, and then men would ignore it, usually a female RA or an Admin would do something in their honor....  My late boss, would do it for me and others.... he used to also bring in treats on random days for the department.  Part of the reason I like doing the brownies is to continue his tradition....

I was too lazy (and stressed, but that's another story!) last night to make brownies so I stopped at Dunkin Donuts this morning and brought in a box of munchkins.... I only walk 1 block to work, so this trip was out of my way (by about 6 blocks).  I got in to work, sent an email to the department wishing D a happy birthday and letting everyone know there are donuts in the library - standard protocol.  I sent the email out at 7:50 - our whole dept is here by 7:30am, except for D, who rolls in sometime around 8am.  We don't keep tabs on people too much - as long as your boss doesn't care, there isn't a set time when you should be in.  But, D easily comes in more than 30min after everyone else does, but also stays considerably later.

This is how he thanks me: Thanks, good to know everyone now knows how late I got in!

What an asshole!  My response: "I won't go through the trouble next time then".  I saw him afterwards and he attempted to make nice, but he found a way to negate that apology during the course of our chat and be a jerk a all over again.  Later he sent a more appreciative email, but in my opinion, it was too little, too late and I felt the whole thing felt forced and more like damage control than anything else.

I've been on the fence about this guy since I met him.  He seems to be a bit pompos-like and awfully full of himself considering he hasn't even been here a month yet and barely knows the lay of the land.  Yesterday, he told me he thought is boss was the C-word.  Not a big fan of that word.  Today pretty much solidified my feelings toward him.... 

STUPID {INSERT COMPANY NAME!} ^%&*()_&*()!!!!!!

Today, my company fixed its web filter... no more youtube, no more Sirius radio, and no more VOX!!  SOoooooo.... since I do almost all of my blogging at work -- when I'm procrastinating -- I'm not sure if I will be as diligent going forward... I try not to use the computer any more than I have to when I am home.... I guess we'll just have to see how it goes...

In other news... I haven't been updating everyone on how our plants are doing... turns out I have the green thumb (or, because of dumb luck, I got the herbs that are easier to grow.  Last night I bought a window sill box and some soil, and much to Adam's frustrations, I decided that tonight would be a perfect night to replace our herbs... i think the herbs may feel otherwise... let's just say the replant didn't go as well as planned.  To my credit, it was really HARD!  I gave them plenty of water and I will just have to wait and see how they survive.  It's probably best that I did this before we leave for four days - my babies need a few days to grow on their own without me "helping" {or not}.  Hopefully, they will be alive and well when we get back.  Adam, that wimp, is waiting until we return to replant his little seedlings...

One last thing ----  I saw that house today that just went on the market and it SUCKED!!!   It wasn't even NEW construction -- house was probably redone 10 years ago - BIG disappointment!!!  This is the first house EVER that we didn't even bother seeing the second floor. That's how crappy the first floor was... So it goes I guess....

JAMAICA, HERE WE COME!!!! 

I continue to be crazy-busy with earnings season.  Yesterday and today I have been particularly busy because my boss has been on a poorly planned business trip to Boston and I have been left to handle our two most icky companies solo.  Last night I didn't shut off the computer until 11:30pm and this morning I was in the office by 6:30am -- needless to say, I'm exhausted. 

This morning we downgraded one of our companies.  {The stock reached what we believed is a fair value, so we downgraded to HOLD from BUY - in case you care}.  Since my boss had an 8am meeting, I was the one that had to speak at the morning meeting and inform the salesforce & traders about our "call".  My former boss, (from a long, long time ago that I had not been very fond of because he tried to have me fired duing my first year working here), came and told me this morning that he thought that today was the best morning comment that I had ever done.  That was very cool to hear! 

AND, someone else in my department, listened to my blurb on the Weekly TV show, that I had taped yesterday, and thought I had done very well.  Both of these people are extremely helpful at giving constructive criticism, so it was nice to hear two unsolicited compliements regarding my public speaking abilities.  Yeah ME!   

Back to earnings..... MUST... GET.... CAFFEINE!!!!