Ornithologists Disappointed That Superb Owl Sunday Was Failure Once Again
February 14, 2022
CINCINNATI AND LOS ANGELES – Owl enthusiasts were unsuccessful again this year in getting together to pay tribute to their favorite bird on what they have dubbed Superb Owl Sunday. The disappointment amongst the amateur and professional ornithologists was the Monday morning topic around office water coolers and elsewhere throughout the nation.
In Cincinnati, bird watcher Frank Greathorn had put together a “vote for your favorite owl” bracket and had arranged for his local group to have its yearly Superb Owl Sunday meetup at the local Hooters restaurant to announce the winner. As members arrived, wearing shirts emblazoned with likenesses of their favorite owls, they found that there were not any available tables and the bar area was standing room only. While speaking to the hostess, Greathorn could hear unusually raucous cheering and yelling at the televisions that seemed to be the focus of attention for the rowdy patrons.
Andrea “Snowy” Wheitoul of Los Angeles, a fan of the silent noctural birds of prey, was frustrated in her attempts to organize a Superb Owl Sunday potluck dinner and Powerpoint presentation for her friends at one of their houses. All of the women said that their husbands, boyfriends, or roommates had already planned to have their friends over to watch something or other on TV, eat nachos and wings, and get wasted on light beer.
Similar situations were seen in cities and towns all across the country. Bars and restaurants, especially those with TVs, were said to be have been packed. Empty boxes from big screen TVs were curbside at houses where people who seemed to completely misunderstand the meaning of Superb Owl Sunday had gathered.
Greathorn was dumbfounded as to why their traditional date of the first Sunday in February, postponed a week this year because of the pandemic, wasn’t like all the other uneventful Sundays in winter. He was reluctant to change the date, however, because “everyone has set the day aside since we first celebrated the Superb Owl with our humble beginnings in L.A. 56 years ago.”
“Who would have thought this would happen? Who, who, who?” Greathorn moaned.
The game will be on in the background we are just waiting for the commercials! Today is just a day of fun eating too much fun food & hanging with friends. Margaritas anyone?!
I used to hate Sundays because they were the day before I started work. I switched to working 4x10s, with Mondays off, and I could not be happier. Now I love Sundays (yay I still have one more day off!) AND Mondays (yay I would have been working but I have this day off instead!)
@nobile For my final 21 employed years, I worked M-Th, with 3-day weekends. It was nice, especially as I had a ~1 hour commute each way to/from the office. And the final 16 months was work-from-home, because of Covid (which made a nice transition into retirement).
@nobile It was a Job. But like most contracts they never last more than a Couple years. then You have to look for a new one! BTW in the mean time 'You are on a “Vacation” a unpaid one with no defined end date!
@nobile You see Computer Hardware Tech that does Corp Repair (Yes You get me, or one of may Brothers /Sister in the field) That is after You have spoken to help desk & they put in a Ticket. We bring the Pixie Dust & Magic Wand & make your computer better!
The problem with that is those positions nearly 98% of the time is filled by Contract agency there is NO way around that. The Benefits SUCK! the only one is a W2 (oh You could get a 1099, yes the contract would LOVE that. Too much trouble at tax time, for the extra $2/hr)
But I love the Job. It is so much FUN! Really, Plus we have tales to tell, of course names are changed to protect the guilty! Some times a company will then Hire you on a FTE. But that is rare
@mycya4me I did remote tech support on my independent contractor days! Got to help some wild folks for sure! I definitely don’t get as fun issues/stories from my Network Admin office job now, but I have less personal/emotional involvement too, which is a plus for my weak will
@nobile Nope, I never did Remote support or level 1 help desk support. In fact ZERO help desk would even hire me with 20 + year of hands on Hardware support. Yep seen some of the Wild tales (I had a couple service calls to fix) the others comes from my Fellow techs in the Bullpen or from some of the online forums that are for techs only. NO Mundanes Allowed they would get offended!
When I started working out of college, I would often work about 9AM to 10PM. I remember getting back to my condo in time to watch Johnny Carson or David Letterman (so as you could guess I am much older now and could/would never do that). Sometimes weekends if there was an urgent project. Weird to say but it was fun when you are a young silicon valley engineer.
Also to add to the story I did sleep in the office sometimes. According to the Elon Musk biography, he rented an office in Palo Alto but could not afford a place to live, so he slept in his rented office for a few months.
@pmarin My first job out of college was at a big tech company. The president of the company was known for being a stickler about showing up on time. If you entered the building between 8:05 and 9AM, you had to sign a “Late List” at the security station and anyone on the list would have to explain their tardiness to their manager. You didn’t want to be on the list multiple times. Some people started coming in after 9AM to avoid the list, but then if their manager noticed a pattern of empty chairs, they would be called out and asked to explain.
Once the Big Kahuna visited and addressed the troops. It was held in a local movie theater. When someone showed up after 8:05 (and was dumb enough to enter ), he stopped the presentation and directed them to a row of empty seats reserved in the front row, nearest the stage. He waited as they walked down the aisle and got seated, made some withering remark, and proceeded with the presentation. Everyone got the message.
Hard to imagine a similar situation these days.
@pmarin Yes I did some Weird shifts, I worked some Big Company mergers, like Central Fidelity & Jefferson Nation into Wachovia, then Wachovia into Wells Fargo. Some drug stores into CVS, Kinko print shops into FedEx office (I was in Boston & Philly, PA) of course many others Some time you come in a couple hours before the close then you finish when You finish that branch (some time 3a-10:30a the Next day) projects you had to go in at 5-6am (not happening anymore)
Now due to my “Young” age I refuse to do Nites, GraveYard or Weekends. I only want part time/ Short term project. Some of the contract company don’t understand that!
I have that posted At the top of my Linked-In Profile!
Another day in Paradise isn’t that the way it goes
It’s not just Sunday. It’s Super Bowl Sunday! Go Chiefs!!
@gjrupert I’ve never been a big fan of bowling, but all the hype makes me want to check it out!
Go players of football! May one of the teams win!
@aetris it seems the team with the most points is going to win.
@pmarin - Fingers crossed for them!
@aetris @pmarin So, it’s like a debate?
@macromeh @pmarin - Yes, but with balls!
Yey it’s a whole new day… I need to find a job
/image superb owl
@narfcake Superb indeed.
@narfcake An article I wrote in 2022…
Ornithologists Disappointed That Superb Owl Sunday Was Failure Once Again
February 14, 2022
CINCINNATI AND LOS ANGELES – Owl enthusiasts were unsuccessful again this year in getting together to pay tribute to their favorite bird on what they have dubbed Superb Owl Sunday. The disappointment amongst the amateur and professional ornithologists was the Monday morning topic around office water coolers and elsewhere throughout the nation.
In Cincinnati, bird watcher Frank Greathorn had put together a “vote for your favorite owl” bracket and had arranged for his local group to have its yearly Superb Owl Sunday meetup at the local Hooters restaurant to announce the winner. As members arrived, wearing shirts emblazoned with likenesses of their favorite owls, they found that there were not any available tables and the bar area was standing room only. While speaking to the hostess, Greathorn could hear unusually raucous cheering and yelling at the televisions that seemed to be the focus of attention for the rowdy patrons.
Andrea “Snowy” Wheitoul of Los Angeles, a fan of the silent noctural birds of prey, was frustrated in her attempts to organize a Superb Owl Sunday potluck dinner and Powerpoint presentation for her friends at one of their houses. All of the women said that their husbands, boyfriends, or roommates had already planned to have their friends over to watch something or other on TV, eat nachos and wings, and get wasted on light beer.
Similar situations were seen in cities and towns all across the country. Bars and restaurants, especially those with TVs, were said to be have been packed. Empty boxes from big screen TVs were curbside at houses where people who seemed to completely misunderstand the meaning of Superb Owl Sunday had gathered.
Greathorn was dumbfounded as to why their traditional date of the first Sunday in February, postponed a week this year because of the pandemic, wasn’t like all the other uneventful Sundays in winter. He was reluctant to change the date, however, because “everyone has set the day aside since we first celebrated the Superb Owl with our humble beginnings in L.A. 56 years ago.”
“Who would have thought this would happen? Who, who, who?” Greathorn moaned.
@ItalianScallion @narfcake
Oh great… Another day packed with chaos.
Time to watch the Eagles Fly!!
/giphy flying eagles
@IndifferentDude - They flew! As for Kansas City, they went about as far as they could go.
@aetris Yep! Poor Patrick tho; he’s not taking it very well.
Last day of Orlando HamCation! Here’s hoping I sell more stuff.
@PooltoyWolf I want to attend that one sometimes
@mycya4me @PooltoyWolf
Good luck!
A day to go to Church, relax, see friends. BTW I will not be watching the game.
The game will be on in the background we are just waiting for the commercials! Today is just a day of fun eating too much fun food & hanging with friends. Margaritas anyone?!
@jkawaguchi What I do I go to YouTube & watch the commercial’s!
I used to hate Sundays because they were the day before I started work. I switched to working 4x10s, with Mondays off, and I could not be happier. Now I love Sundays (yay I still have one more day off!) AND Mondays (yay I would have been working but I have this day off instead!)
@nobile For my final 21 employed years, I worked M-Th, with 3-day weekends. It was nice, especially as I had a ~1 hour commute each way to/from the office. And the final 16 months was work-from-home, because of Covid (which made a nice transition into retirement).
@macromeh Yeah, I don’t think I could go back to 5x8s anymore, having 3-day weekends has done wonders for my mental health and work quality
@nobile
@nobile I had a Job that started out to to 5-10hrs. I will paid hourly… But due to stuff it moved to 11 hrs then 12 hrs Still 5 days & hourly
@mycya4me ooof you have my condolences, that would be unbearable
@nobile It was a Job. But like most contracts they never last more than a Couple years. then You have to look for a new one! BTW in the mean time 'You are on a “Vacation” a unpaid one with no defined end date!
@mycya4me oh an independent contractor? I did that for a couple of years, but I burned out… I feel like I’m better as an office drone
@nobile You see Computer Hardware Tech that does Corp Repair (Yes You get me, or one of may Brothers /Sister in the field) That is after You have spoken to help desk & they put in a Ticket. We bring the Pixie Dust & Magic Wand & make your computer better!
The problem with that is those positions nearly 98% of the time is filled by Contract agency there is NO way around that. The Benefits SUCK! the only one is a W2 (oh You could get a 1099, yes the contract would LOVE that. Too much trouble at tax time, for the extra $2/hr)
But I love the Job. It is so much FUN! Really, Plus we have tales to tell, of course names are changed to protect the guilty! Some times a company will then Hire you on a FTE. But that is rare
@mycya4me I did remote tech support on my independent contractor days! Got to help some wild folks for sure! I definitely don’t get as fun issues/stories from my Network Admin office job now, but I have less personal/emotional involvement too, which is a plus for my weak will
@nobile Nope, I never did Remote support or level 1 help desk support. In fact ZERO help desk would even hire me with 20 + year of hands on Hardware support. Yep seen some of the Wild tales (I had a couple service calls to fix) the others comes from my Fellow techs in the Bullpen or from some of the online forums that are for techs only. NO Mundanes Allowed they would get offended!
When I started working out of college, I would often work about 9AM to 10PM. I remember getting back to my condo in time to watch Johnny Carson or David Letterman (so as you could guess I am much older now and could/would never do that). Sometimes weekends if there was an urgent project. Weird to say but it was fun when you are a young silicon valley engineer.
Also to add to the story I did sleep in the office sometimes. According to the Elon Musk biography, he rented an office in Palo Alto but could not afford a place to live, so he slept in his rented office for a few months.
@pmarin My first job out of college was at a big tech company. The president of the company was known for being a stickler about showing up on time. If you entered the building between 8:05 and 9AM, you had to sign a “Late List” at the security station and anyone on the list would have to explain their tardiness to their manager. You didn’t want to be on the list multiple times. Some people started coming in after 9AM to avoid the list, but then if their manager noticed a pattern of empty chairs, they would be called out and asked to explain.
), he stopped the presentation and directed them to a row of empty seats reserved in the front row, nearest the stage. He waited as they walked down the aisle and got seated, made some withering remark, and proceeded with the presentation. Everyone got the message.
Once the Big Kahuna visited and addressed the troops. It was held in a local movie theater. When someone showed up after 8:05 (and was dumb enough to enter
Hard to imagine a similar situation these days.
@pmarin Yes I did some Weird shifts, I worked some Big Company mergers, like Central Fidelity & Jefferson Nation into Wachovia, then Wachovia into Wells Fargo. Some drug stores into CVS, Kinko print shops into FedEx office (I was in Boston & Philly, PA) of course many others Some time you come in a couple hours before the close then you finish when You finish that branch (some time 3a-10:30a the Next day) projects you had to go in at 5-6am (not happening anymore)
Now due to my “Young” age I refuse to do Nites, GraveYard or Weekends. I only want part time/ Short term project. Some of the contract company don’t understand that!
I have that posted At the top of my Linked-In Profile!