System Wreckers, Filing Wrecks & How to Hide a Wrecker

I’m having a difficult time concentrating this morning. My office and life are in disarray. I can’t find my stuff. On a positive note it is only my office stuff I can’t find, not my important stuff, so I’ll survive.

I always receive regular comments and complaints about my filing system. I don’t know why it annoys anyone. No one but me ever has to deal with it. My system is simple and foolproof. I know that is accurate because I am a fool and it works for me.

If someone hands me a piece of paper or something I take it. If it needs to go to someone else I put it in their In Box. If it is for me I mentally file it and carefully place it in a pile. If I need the hard copy I reach into the pile and pull it out. You might call this chronological filing. Then when the pile gets to the point it is unstable I start a new pile.

In my pre-Management days I actually used a filing cabinet and file folders. Then I acquired Management. She had issues with my filing system. Again my system worked for me. At that time I put papers in files with proper labels identifying each folder.

Management told me my filing system was incorrect and confusing. She claimed-well, never mind. My system dealt with important information and everything I needed to find it. Such as there were folders labeled Big Mean Woman, Deep South, 5 kids and Two Dogs, Nascar Nut, Husky Voice, Sexy and other important identifying information. If I needed to order labels I knew to call Husky; Deep South sold plastic containers, Super Achiever sold parts and Husky was the bonding company rep. It all made sense and it all worked.

In any case all of that is old history. Yesterday Management contracted with a nice lady to “clean my office.”

The problem is that in order to “clean my office” (or get in the door for that matter) requires that I pre-clean my office. To make a long story short my office is clean, my stuff is rearranged and I am somehow expected to find my stuff.

The son just walked in and informed me he had traded some of my stuff for a wrecker. Now I certainly can’t see any reason not to have a wrecker. I am concerned that he is trading MY stuff for something he thinks he might need. Why isn’t he trading HIS stuff? On the other hand a wrecker might come in handy; in fact, I could have used one last night and several times in the past week. The son claims, “I am trading your stuff for a wrecker that YOU will use on a regular basis and will make you more efficient and more profitable and make your life easier. I don’t need a wrecker.”  Keeping in mind boys of all ages just can’t resist heavy equipment, things that explode and breaking things, I am going to call bull on this one.

It reminds me of the time he told me I needed to buy more black powder. This was shortly before his eyebrows disappeared in a “technical malfunction.”

Logistically, having a wrecker at home when the odds are that I won’t need one at home is somewhat problematic. I can’t call me and ask me to come and get me when I am broken down on the side of the road. Maybe the son is volunteering for this.

The other issue is convincing Management of the value of owning a wrecker. Without proper salesmanship she will see ownership of a wrecker as nothing but a tool that will be used to bring more junk to her yard. On a positive note I accidentally removed some large items from the yard just this week. Maybe I can slip in something else and it won’t be noticed. Then there is the fact that I will be motivated to relocate some of the items that annoy her most if I could do it easier and faster.

We will not even discuss the time, money and effort it will take to get the wrecker running and useable.