i'm just me

baby, family & a little work rant

had my dr. appointment today and everything is still going real well with the baby.  my blood pressure is still under control, so she is keeping me on the same medication.  high blood pressure can pose big problems in the later part of pregnancy, so this is good news.  hopefully things will stay this way to the end.  only about 3 months to go now.

we are trying to pick out new carpeting for the baby's room and are having a hard time.  they only carry 2" samples in the store, so we have to wait for larger sizes (oooh, 6") to be delivered to us in order to get a better idea of it will look like.  i am not enjoying this part of the decorating.  we did, however, buy some cute stuff last friday at pottery barn kids and got a dresser at ikea of all places.  it is white and has kind of a scrolling pattern of flowers and a heart carved in the front.  the only "bad" thing is that is is quite large.  much too large for a baby or child, but it will hold a lot of clothes (or whatever else) and she will be able to still use it when she gets older since it is not child sized.  we are just really anxious to get the furniture put together and in the room and to get some cute stuff on the walls.  i get tired so easily that we need to get this stuff done soon before i can't really do anything anymore.

a bit of bad news - my older brother ended up in the hospital yesterday with blood clots in his lung.  they put him on a medication to break up the clots and so far it seems to be working.  we have no family history of this and the clots are very large, so of course they are concerned.  he is supposed to be moved out of icu into a normal room tonight.  they think he'll be in the hospital for the rest of the week.  hopefully everything will come out ok.

b wiped clean my laptop this past weekend and upgraded me to vista.  i was having so many issues and he thought cleaning it all out would help.  so far, so good.

on another note, can i just say that i am sick of some of the people who work for me?  if i never hire another whiney, spoiled baby of an employee it will be too soon.  why can't these types of people have their real attitudes printed on their foreheads?  they seem all good and hireable, but end up being a source of frustration and anxiety on a regular basis.  i wish these individuals could see how bad they could really have it and maybe they would appreciate what they have in their current jobs.  the insubordination and lack of professionalism astounds me.

so this post doesn't go on without a photo, here's the tree at b's parents house on christmas:

so here i am

after work, driving from the office to the resort.

from the back patio of my room (this was monday morning and it was a cloudy, rainy day. tuesday the sun was out and that is when i took all the other pics).

driving down main street - headed to the landing for shopping and food.

at the landing - in the amphitheater styled seating area looking out at the lake - there is a water fountain and (at night) fire show.  the black pillars are where the fire comes out.  there is music playing over speakers that the water and fire are synchronized to.

bye again

off to missouri for work.  bringing my camera this time, so i hope to post some pics to the blog while i'm there.

i always dislike the day and night before work-related travel. the packing; the making sure i have all the work stuff i need for the trip (last time i forgot my laptop power supply, duh); extra work at odd hours because there is always something that has to be done before i go and that can't be done from wherever i am going; the taking care of home stuff since i'll be gone awhile.  i usually try to travel during the week so i still have my personal time on the weekends - this time i leave on sunday morning due to the bright idea of "the powers that be".  plus i have had to work most of today and this evening due to so many projects i have going on at work right now.  so i've pretty much lost my weekend to work.

i like missouri.  it's pretty, and branson has stuff to do - shopping, nice places to eat, and a beautiful boardwalk area by the river that is fun to hang out at.  and i have company on this trip.  and i get to see a friend.  so, the trip's not so bad.  but the reason is.  but i have to try to move forward in a positive way.  or i get more migraines and more sleepless nights.

anyway, here's someone cute that i will miss and will be happy to come home to (and oh yes, b too, but he doesn't let me take pics of him being cute...)

 

issue: #1

*disclaimer:  i typically like to keep my blog entries on the lighter, happier side of things since i am trying to focus on the positive things in my life.  however, much of my life is full of experiences, interactions and observations that just make me shake my head.  so i'm actually going to start a series of my issues/observations/pet peeves - just for my own mental therapy.  it's my blog and it's my prerogative.

you already know how much i love my job - not.  i cannot even begin to tell you how petty and childish so many people are when it comes to attitudes in the workplace.  at my office, we have about 3 people who are always cold.  and when i say always, i mean even in the summer - in phoenix!!!  ok, so you may ask why this is a problem.  because they whine, and they fuss, and they wrap big coats and blankets around themselves like they are dying of cold - and the coolest it gets in our office is an effing 75 degrees!!!  oh, and let me point out that our thermostats let us have a range of the coldest/warmest it can get before the heat/air conditioner kicks on - and our air is set so that it doesn't actually come on until it is 77 degrees.  almost everyone else in the office thinks the temp is fine or is on the warm side - but they don't whine.  however, wanting to be fair to everyone (yes, even the "freezing like an ice cube" whiners), i researched what office temps should be - and do you know what???  the average temp range for a sedentary office environment such as ours is 69-73 degrees!!!  yes, really.  it is mentioned that an average of 80% of people will be comfortable in this range.  the other 20% will be too cold or too warm, but that's the "bell curve" of us humans - not everyone can be happy.  it is stressed that it is much more comfortable to work in an office that is slightly cooler than one that is warmer.  people are more productive.  hmmm, maybe that's the problem, someone wants to nap...

it gets worse:  i cannot even believe that another manager had to come to me last week and inform me that a whiner from my dpt. had turned the heat on in her area of the building before anyone else had come in and that it was set to something in the 80s.  she said it was so hot that even she was stifled - and let me tell you, this gal likes it on the warm side herself - she's a true beach girl.  she asked that i speak to my whiner and ask them to not mess with the temp on her side of the building again.  of course, the whiner denied the action (h-e-l-l-o, you are the only one in at that time...) but agreed to not change the temps again - huh?  never mind...

i have now explained to all 3 of the eskimos about the research i did.  one of them was actually quite nice and accepting of the information, which was a relief to me because it seems some employees seriously think that i (and all evil managers) just think of ways to make life miserable for them.  seriously???  they need to drop the narcissism and get back to work.

a sad goodbye

bye CP - you've been awesome and i wish you only the best - write sometime and let me know how it's going and how the kids are doing, my email is on my home page.

she doesn't travel well

yeah, that's me.  i have no fear of flying.  but since the day i was born my body has screamed to always have both feet planted firmly on solid earth.  if i don't listen, it lashes out.  you cannot imagine the joy this brings me.

east TX is pretty - i could live there - but i understand it can get quite cold in the winter which takes it off the list for b.  i stayed the first night at a tyler motel that gave me my worst ever motel experience - i actually called b in tears it was so bad - don't ask.  after that i stayed at one of the properties linked to my employer - much better to say the least...  rustic exterior, comfy interior.

went to a local mexican restaurant - and it was yummmmy.  you know how i love my mexican food...

 

do you like it?

I was recently asked how things are going with my job.  I answered this question with the usual line of "It's going ok, it's the same."  People usually leave it at that, right?  Most people don't really care how things are going it is just what we do to be polite - to ask about it.  However, this time I was also asked "Do you like it?"  Hmmm...  I was caught off guard that someone actually cared to ask and seemed genuinely interested in my response.  After recovering from shock, I easily admitted that NO - I really don't like my job.  Here's the thing - I don't much like what I do.  I don't like being in the profession that I am and I don't like the specific position I hold.  However, that doesn't mean that I particularly regret where I am at that place in my life because every decision along the way was mine.  I fully realize that my life is so much better off than it could be.  I make good money and the company I work for is not a bad one.

But still, I don't like what I do.  Most of it anyway.  And if I could have done it differently, I would have.  First off I don't care for accounting.  Parts of it are ok, but it's just not my thing.  I'm not that smart and I don't like to memorize stuff, and that's a lot of what accounting is all about.  GAAP, taxes, FASB, SOX - blah, blah, blah.  There's also the whole management side of my job.  If you have truly managed people you probably know what I mean.

Here's what I like about what I do:  I like problem solving.  I like digging into something and figuring it out.  I like cleaning things up and creating things from scratch.  I like working with spreadsheets.  I am very anal and I like maintaining detailed, organized analysis and records.  As far as managing, I like teaching people things, I like helping them learn and grow.  I like giving someone opportunity.  I like the decision making.  I like a good team environment where people respect and support each other and act professionally.  I feel good about putting together a good team that supports the company.

In a nut shell, here's what I don't like:  Actual detailed accounting based on rules and regulations.  On the management side, I can't stand the politics and dealing with staff in ways other than the positive ones mentioned above.  Invariably you have to deal with employees who feel entitled, take advantage, gossip, slack or are disrespectful.  The politics of being a manager suck, especially in middle management.  You find yourself dealing with both the staff and the senior management.  You deal with the day to day stuff, you have to get used to being the bad guy to the staff (as it is left to you to enforce policy, keep the work flow going, etc), and you also work with the politics of senior management who seem to have forgotten (did they ever really know?) how much effort it takes to keep things running the way they want.

Is it any wonder why I dare to occasionally dream of having a job where I create my own work and can express myself in an artistic way?  I dream.  But I try not to regret.

back from the cold & some cute stuff

I had a quick business trip to Missouri this week.  It was cold and rainy and I had to drive in the fog which was kind of like driving in a desert sand storm.  I'm sure the people who saw me walking around in my open toe, sandal type heels thought I was crazy.  What they don't know is that when I went to pack Monday morning, I scanned all my work shoes and realized I had exactly ONE pair that enclosed my foot.  I took those, but they are black so I couldn't exactly wear them on the day I wore my brown outfit could I?  Anyway, I don't get cold easily.  When I am cold I am not that uncomfortable, so it was really no big deal to me.  No pics from the trip since I lent my camera out while I was gone.

Here are some pics of a *cute-cute* skirt and top that is a Christmas present for little Saige from me and her Mom.  We bought it together since we just couldn't pass it up even though it cost a lot at the Pumpkin Patch.  The skirt is extra cool because it has adjustable elastic straps inside so it can grow with your child.  If I ever had a child, I'd be broke because I would absolutely have to dress them in the clothes from this place.

Here is a peek at a cute mini album I did for my great friend Alysia - for her (gasp!) 30th birthday in October.  I had forgotten to take any pics of it and had to borrow it back since it was so cute!  I will add an album of all the pages on the side bar over the weekend.  The whole thing was made by me.  I used an Elsie album as the template for the shape.  I love the *super cute* Basic Grey paper on the cover!  As you can see, the theme was "30 Wonderful Things About Alysia".  Love ya, girl!!