Adventures In Agriculture

(Not so) Typhoid Tara

As of Tuesday afternoon, I am now officially unlikely to contract typhoid, yellow fever, or hepatitis of any type. Polio, malaria, and a host of other tropical diseases* are still possibilities, but I didn't need to get vaccines for them before my next work trip. 

Oh...did I forget to mention that my next work trip is TO BRAZIL!!!! Sure, I'll be attending meeting while I'm down there, but they'll be meetings IN BRAZIL!!! 

John Deere has quite a few operations in South America, and I'll be traveling down in early February to see one of the factories. I'm especially excited because I may get a chance to see some farms while I'm there. I've heard about some amazing operations there, with the kind of size that would make Manitoba** look like someone's backyard.

Now I just need to figure out how to get a tripod into my luggage....

 

 

*Take it from me: searching wikipedia to read about the ways you can die from a mosquito bite is NOT a good thing to do before bed.     

** Well, maybe. I haven't made it to Manitoba yet, either, so this is speculation on my part. 

No Really...You Can't Miss It

I have been a road warrior lately. Between work trips to Moline and weekend trips to Kansas City, I realized that I spend at least 2 hours in 4 different states in a single day. 

The good news is that I've been driving instead of flying, which means shorter trips and a more flexibility. The downside? I've spent so much time in gas stations that the roller dogs were starting to look good.  

And speaking of gas stations, I do have to admit that I get the biggest kick out of the big gas stations that cater to travelers and truckers, like the I80 Truck Stop. It's got the usual assortment of convenience store items...and a gift shop...and a dentist...and a restaurant...and more gift shops...and a movie theater....and a truckwash....and a museum...and an online store... A coworker even has a $10 hawaiian shirt that was purchased as a gift for him there. 

Ok, it's a zoo. But it's a clean zoo. And there's always a pump open and I've never had a hard time getting back on the Interstate when I'm done.   

I'm still planning to stay away from the roller dogs. 

Uses of Steel-Toed Boots

My friend Average Jane sent me this Graph the other day. 

It's really close, but it forgot one main activity- Looking darn stylish at the office!

Ok, maybe that last one is just me.

Come work with me!

Well, not exactly with me. My counterpart in the Intelligent Solutions Group (think Greenstar and RTK) just posted an opening for a Part-Time Student Position. Lots of video and web stuff included!

Here's the posting: 

Part-Time Student Opportunity
Primarily designed to augment the Company's regular full-time staff, and is for students who work in parallel to their school schedule.
 
John Deere in Urbandale Iowa, is currently seeking qualified students to fill positions under the Part Time Student Program.  Qualified applicants are eligible for tuition assistance and Paid Time Off (vacation) after 3 months of employment as part of their benefit package.

From www.JohnDeere.jobs follow the steps below:
-Click on United States
-Click on College Students
-Click on Part-Time Employment
-Click on part-time opportunities in the body of the webpage
- In the Job Number field enter 50380354
- Click search for jobs

 
Major Duties:
•    Manage the Communications mailbox
•    Create Web content: assist with planning and drafting intranet articles
•    Meeting Planning: Help schedule, invite, plan and host employee meetings
•    Manage Employee Newsletter: receive articles and news from employees. Layout web newsletter and send for review. Publish and distribute newsletter
•    Video Editing: review videos and select appropriate clips and content to share with employees in meetings and on web
•    Build Photo/Video Inventory
 
Qualifications
•    Majoring in Communications/Journalism/Design
•    Must be registered as a full-time student
•    Grad date - Dec 2011 or later
•    Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater
•    15 - 20 hours/week during the academic year
•    35 - 40 hours/week during the summer semester
•    Must be able to commute to the work location on a daily basis
 
Required Skills:
•    Effective writing skills, including grammatical usage, persuasive copy and style
•    Basic photography and photo editing abilities
•    Able to handle multiple projects or tasks simultaneously
 
Desired Skills:
•    Web positing experience- preferably using Teamsite
•    Experience with HTML
•    Video editing using Microsoft Video Maker

Apply Online if you're interested!

Musical Desk Chairs

So, I got kicked out of my cube today.

Well, not really kicked out.* I had been crashing in the Customer Support Department, and since a new person who actually works in Customer Support is starting this week, he gets the desk near the rest of his team. 

I was going to end up in the Marketing Department, but there's musical desk chairs going on there as well. 

So, instead, since I was on the move any way when the HR Manager changed offices... drumroll... I got an actual office!

I have to admit that I like seeing my name badge there. 

Best part? Actual windows. Sure, I'm just looking at the parking lot, but it's nice to see the sun. 

 

*Unless you're talking to the guy who asked me to move. Then I'm saying I was forced to move just to give him a rough time.