Got to love it when a month end goes smooth. I'm actually getting out of here by 10 pm. course, it's still a 12 hour day with work still to do this weekend. But hey, its better than not working at all.
One of my goals this week was to not kill my co-workers. Monday's blog pretty much explains what was happening when I set it. Well on Tuesday, the accounting person quit. They replaced her with the receptionist. Well we all know that the HR person is a little strange and it wouldn't have surprised us for her to put in someone totally unsuitable. Turns out that the receptionist actually had more accounting experience than the person she is replacing. I have some problems with the way that the current person does things. It works for her but it makes my job harder. That's fine; I can live with it. It was clear after the first month that she had no interest in doing anything but her way, no matter who it hurt.
I made the mistake of telling the new person (while the previous person was out of the office) that I did hope that she would make some changes to have the job fit her style and maybe make it less time consuming. I think it's silly to enter 100's of checks by hand into QuickBooks when they're already in one computer system and you can just enter a daily total into QuickBooks. If she's interested I can show her how we used to do it. - Yes, this was a lapse of judgment; I should have waited until the accounting person was gone before I said this (Turns out the new person is a MAJOR gossip and the whole office had a version that "I hated Melissa and she didn't really quit" within minutes). I have apologized for the conversation and been chewed out for an hour by my little brother who signs my paychecks. On top of this, I have been working on the report from HELL for the whole week and trying to fit in month end procedures on top of it.
The accounting office is right next to mine; you can't help but overhear when both doors are open. It is human nature to perk up your ears when your name is mentioned. I've had to endure 2 days of comments like – “Oh I just record those and let Stasha tell me where to move them too when she does the month end reports.” “If you make a mistake on those accounts Stasha will let you know so you can fix it.” “Stasha thinks she knows it all but she’s just annoying.” “This job isn't really accounting; it’s more data entry than anything else.” “That email from Stasha, just ignore it, I don’t know why they include me in staff meeting anyway it’s not like it applies to me.”
Funny the person before her realized it was accounting. I've also had to listen to her totally trash Cathy - the person who did it before her. But then she doesn’t do half of what Cathy did and she didn’t take notes during training, at least any that I saw. And during training, I heard Cathy ask her several times if she was going to take notes.
Today, I finally got so fed up; I closed my door (I put a note on it with the project name I was working on so people wouldn’t think it was because of the talk). I don’t think I can make it for the 2 weeks that she’s got left. I just wonder if the comment that I only caught half of – “I’m a big girl, I can be the bigger person” was also part of a commentary on what I said on Wednesday. I was told by HR and my little brother not to apologize directly to Melissa because supposedly she didn’t know what was said. I’m beginning to think that was a mistake. I said one thing out of her hearing and I’m stuck listening to myself and a good friend who doesn’t work here anymore get trashed for days. Of course, anything I say to HR or my brother now just looks like trying to cover my tail for my stupid action. The other thing that worries me is that I will still have to work with the new person and any hope I have of getting the data from her in an easier form is going to be useless, not with the undermining that is currently going on.
I really don’t even want to go to work tomorrow especially knowing that I’m working from 6:30 am to around 10 pm with a 2 hour lunch during the day.
Work has been really busy. I've been working on a client report that is a re-hash of all the reports we've given them in the last 4 months combined onto one excell spreadsheet. It's taken me 2 days to do 2 months. I finally shut my door today in an attempt to minimize the interuptions and in order to block out the two people next to me slamming my personality and lack of managerial skills, luckily the one doing the slamming leaves in 12 more days and I won't have to listen to it anymore and yes, I know she's talking about me because she keeps saying my name. I haven't had any time to compose my essays on word and then paste them here. But hey, 2 weeks of being insulted won't last long.
An open letter to the Enrollment/Billing/HR Manager:
If I came to you at the beginning of the month and said, "I have promised to hand deliver the preliminary billing on April 26th, can we plan to print it in the afternoon?" I would hope that on the morning of the 26th you would be ready to print it or would ask for my help so you could be ready to do it.
In management meeting, when I reminded you that today was the 26th and I needed to leave at 4 to deliver the bill to our largest client and asked, "Are there any problems?" would you tell me about them?
Then why is it at 4 pm when I go to your office, I find that you left half an hour ago and there is no bill?
In fact, the only person left in your department is the new girl that I'm helping you train. She tells me that you said, "Don't worry we'll just do it tomorrow." Is tomorrow the 26th? I wish I had your ability to rewind time.
Luckily, your new girl is more concerned and caring than you are, by 5:30 she had the bill printed for me and divided into sections. She admitted that she found one error but wasn't sure how to fix it.
I've fixed the error and run a corrected preliminary billing. I'm still going to tell the boss about it but you do such a good job of brown nosing that I'm probably going to get chewed out for "picking" on you again. Well, I keep trying to give you enough rope to hang yourself, I'm just afraid it will hurt our clients and keep fixing things myself (which gets me accused of meddling). I should just leave you to hang.
At least today, I couldn't reach the boss while I was still in my overly emotional state. At least now, I've calmed down and will be able to go into him after I've put together a concise statement of how you don't have the same priorities that I do. We'll see how he responds.
I also have a proposal that may get me out of the computer side of my job and back into the administrative sales assistant quicker too. And get a good friend a job too.
Well last night I had 45 people give or take at my house from 6:30 to 12:30am. DH arrived at 7:30, he walked in the house with his sunglasses on so he didn't see the decorations or the people. He turned around and several people yelled, "Suprise!" The look on his face was priceless. He then turned to me and said, I've got to go upstairs. Seems he had his Mustang pistol in his pocket and wanted to go put it away. He slipped it to me and I took it upstairs. I couldn't put it in our room because all the kids were in our room and I don't want them to know where the upstairs gun safe is. So I took the magazine out and put the pistol on a top shelf in DD's room and the magazine in an upper shelf in another room. Then I went downstairs to enjoy the party. I have enough Mexican food to feed the family for at least a week. Now the key thing is to get out Thank you notes except there are two packages that I don't have cards for so I don't know who they came from. This is the first successful party that I've had. John want's to throw another, and I'm now thinking ahead to Vegas.
1. Favorite Book? Scriptural - Pearl of Great Price and Tao Te Ching Religious - Guide me to Eternity by Christine Monson Fiction - Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein Children’s- Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, Magic (steel, fur, dragon, octagon) by Andre Norton Military Historical Fiction - Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell Military Humor – Phule’s Series by Robert Asprin Science Fiction - Chronicles of Immortality by Piers Anthony, Pegasus series by Anne McCaffrey Horror - H.P. Lovecraft Fantasy – Valdemar books Mercedes Lackey Romance - Amanda Quick, Suzanne Brockmann Classical - As You Like it, Taming of the Shrew, Tempest by Shakespeare Poetry - Paroles by Jacques Prevert (Okay so I can't decide on a favorite)
2 - I'm currently reading Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia McKillip and Scenes from an afterlife: the legacy of George Orwell (the author escapes me).
3. Last book I read – Men of Courage – a compilation of stories
4. Last book I started but didn’t finish – Celtic Legends – could it have been written any drier?
5. Book I would like to read- The Kalevala - I've finally found a good English translation, now it's just a matter of making the time.
I'm feeling better today. I actually sat down and recorded the list of people who have said that they're coming. I came to a total of 37 including my family. So I'll be fine with telling the caterer 60 to 70. DH still doesn't know about it. The only problem I foresee is he's contracted a head cold and after a full day of shooting pictures, he may be too tired to party. He's not hyper like me. My sister has found the design idea that she's doing and my Dad hired a cleaning service for me. They're coming on Friday and since I can't tell DH that my dad's hired it, I told him I won it on the radio. There are lots of radio contests around here that come with lots of strings attached and he believed me when I said that the strings on the one time house cleaning was that it had to be this week and tomorrow was just too crowded with DD's concert so they're coming Friday while he's at work. I just have to hold out on not telling him anything for 3 more days. I can do this.
Throwing a party....A mindless ramble to organize thought.
First off, I've never thrown a party where people actually showed up. I know that the general rule is invite double the number you expect but I usually get a return rate of about 1/4. So I printed 150 invites to DH's 40th birthday party - 75 people right? Well I spaced that most invites are to couples but even though I printed 150 I only mailed out 90, hand delivered about 10 more so maybe a total of 100 out. They don't say RSVP on them but judging from the calls I'm getting, the people that are coming are the older crowd - the ones that are 20 years older than we are. Most of those DH's age are calling to say that they can't come. If I ever needed proof that I wasn't part of the in-crowd in this neighborhood? So if I've invited around 200 people, and my statistics hold true, then I have about 50 to 60 that will actually show up. But then I invited family as well and the extended family alone is around 25 (and both Ti and Kat are in town). So I could have around 90? The caterer only planned on 60 but she said I could handle 90 but I have to tell her on Thursday. Then both my decorators bagged out on me. At least they both returned the checks. But Ti is great at decorating and it's a wake for heaven's sake so black crepe paper and over the hill signs from the dollar store and she's set? Right? I have to admit that I'm starting to worry, I've never thrown a party where people actually showed up. What if I do get 50% showing up? Where will I put them? My house isn't really that big when you think about it. On top of that, I've got the church crowd and the art and Marine Corps crowds. This could be an interesting mix.
Let's just say, I'm probably worrying over nothing and this party will just prove again that they only in crowd I belong to is the one that I create with my friends.
Today at church we had a sermon on the scripture where the sheep were separated from the goats, the sheep on the right hand and the goats on the left. The sheep are on the right hand because they helped the least of these - those who are in circumstances worse than themselves. The goats are those who never found anyone to help. They didn't see those who were less fortunate than themselves. I love how Jennifer Aikman-Smith of [url=http://dragondreams.accra.ca/...]Dragon Dreams[/url] is encouraging service to others with her free patterns this year. I hope that it shakes some people from their ruts to at least look at the need around them. It's amazing that in countries like the US, Canada and the UK that there is so much need for help and charity. With all the advantages that they provide, there are still cracks in the system for people to slip through. So the challenge for my readers today is - look around you, is there someone in your sphere of influence that needs a smile, an ear to listen to them, a hug. This would be a good time to give to a worthy charity. Food banks need help year round. Find one that helps abused children and donate time or money to them. Be a sheep this week. _________________________ ____________________ and now for something completely different:
My inner dragon is to dragons what the Ranger is to humans. Silvers are one of three types of metallic dragon, the others being Gold and Copper. Like all metallics, Silvers rigidly adhere to an internal code of conduct. Unlike the other two metallics, however, this code is not universal. Each Silver must develop their code individually, a fact which explains their unique dispositions and actions. Silvers are often considered outcasts or shadows dwelling on the periphery of dragon culture (much like human Rangers), but they can always be counted upon to speak the truth and help their allies. Because no one but a Silver knows what they'll do next, their alignment is "Chaotic Neutral."
Being a Silver isn't all shady head-games, though. You possess considerable intelligence and self-confidence (whether they manifest themselves or not), and given the opportunity could make a great leader. Magic isn't really your bag, but you're awfully good at slipping in and out of a situation or conflict undetected. Which, by the way, may be due to your slightly-below-average size more than anything else. Your favorable attributes are dependability, durability, problem-solving, mist, fog, silver, and pewter. Like your human counterpart - the Ranger - you're a superb weapons user and have an especially good command of your icy breath weapon. Just keep in mind that even your friends may find your ethics hard to accept from time to time.
Today in 1987, I was having my last finals of Winter Semester. I was looking forward to my wedding the next day and dreading going home to the last night of my mother trying to stop my wedding. I was ever so grateful when Hinckley and her boyfriend at the time came home with me and ran interference with my mom. The wedding was beautiful, the reception fun (especially the polka contest). One of DH’s friends came in drag and I think my mom still believes that it was one of DH’s old girlfriends and not one of his buddies from high school playing a prank. It’s really hard to believe that it was so long ago. It sure doesn’t seem that long. See you all in a few days.
Today my DH turned 40. He thinks that I plan to let him slip out of the 30 somethings peacefully. I have a party planned for next weekend.
The invitations are addressed and in the process of being stuffed. They should be mailed out tomorrow. The caterer is taken care of, I haven't paid or discussed as much as I should with the decorator and I'm having trouble reaching some of his closer friends and assoc.
One of the laws of success is focus. Lately, it seems that I have none. Even as I'm typing this I have a game of freecell, a BB and I'm listening to a PBS program on the origins of surfing.
Everything I've read on success talks about being single minded about your goal. Maybe the problem I'm having with focus is that my goal is fuzzy at the moment. I have so many irons in the fire right now that I know burnout can't be too far behind but as long as I'm moving the burnout can't catch me. If I stand still for a moment, it will catch up and then I will be in major trouble.
Or the constant movement could be a camouflage for a really bad procrastination problem. I'm at the point in several goals where I need to just buckle down and do the not fun stuff. The stuff that requires me to rely on other people instead of myself. Of course part of that requires me to admit that other people are better at what I do than I am. That shouldn't be too hard. I know that Karen is more organized than I am, WG is a better writer. Cat is more in tune with her family than I have the patience to be. Or could the problem be that I'm sabotaging success again? If things actually worked out, what would I have to fight against? What would get me out of bed in the morning? I need to think bigger, to see the dream behind the dream and aim for that. I need to pick out a star and shoot for the moon knowing that it's just a starting point.
I'm sorry if none of this makes sense, I'm thinking out loud without editing and I'll probably regret it tomorrow but this is a stream of consciousness that may actually lead somewhere beside in a circle.
Okay, I still haven't figured out how to upload images or I would show you the series of pictures that DH shot using Peeps. He did put one up on [url=http://www.photosig.com/go/ph...]photosig.[/url]
1. What do you do for a living? currently I'm the assistant to the Sales President of an insurance company. Previously I did IT, claims, auditing and anything else they requested.
2. What do you like most about your job? Flexible hours and dealing with clients
3. What do you like least about your job? Office politics and long hours (I did a 48 hour week and I have 3 hours still to do before Monday).
4. When you have a bad day at work it's usually because _____... people seem to think that everything is a priority and they get upset that I don't feel that their pet project is more important than what I'm working on .
5. What other career(s) are you interested in? I would love to be a personal coach.
What color were Christa McAuliffe’s eyes? Blew – one blew East and one blew West!
Remember jokes like that from the Challenger disaster? Or jokes from the Oklahoma City bombing? I thought when I started seeing the dancing Osama files that we were finally starting to heal from 9/11. But it seems that our sense of humor still hasn’t recovered. I only saw 3 April’s Fools jokes this year, one online and two in my office. The ones on the office were received well but the online one totally bombed. Funny thing is last year and the year before (closer to the 9/11 date), there would have been half a dozen online jokes. Maybe it isn’t 9/11; maybe my community has just become more closed minded and self-involved. I remember a time when the community had an openly lesbian moderator. Today any discussion of same sex relationships ends up being marked as “controversial" and we don't discuss sex as a whole on there as much as we used too (those were always labelled ADULT). As for that, I remember when things didn’t have to be labeled. But then people also titled their posts appropriately without having to leave a sticky note reminding them to do it. It’s just not as fun anymore. As someone else mentioned (WG, does this make me a mindless minion?), consider a community of 3500 as a small college, well, maybe August is graduation time. There is an upside to it all though. Since I’m not spending as much time there, I have more time to stitch.
You are an ENTP! As an ENTP, you are Extraverted, iNtuative, Thinking, and Perceiving. This makes your primary focus on Extraverted Intuition with Introverted Thinking.
This is defined as a NT personality, which is part of Carl Jung's Rational (Knowledge Seeking) type, and more specifically the Inventors or Visionary
As a weblogger, your love for a discussion may cause you to debate things more often. You might also flit from idea to idea, not completing one before going to the next. Your largest sense is intution, which makes you a good at understanding what is going on around you - and this could act to your benefit when making blog-like posts over a journal.
this was copied and pasted from Bloginality. The spelling and syntax errors are theirs, not mine!
That I didn't set up the quilt and I didn't get it tied and I haven't even taken the roll of batting down from on top of the table where it got moved when we discovered that Mr. Darwin was stealing pieces to take out in the yard.
He's wrapped the back yard in yarn before too. He's almost as bad as a cat when it comes to playing in my stash.
I did finish some ornaments this week and I'm taking votes on the design of one of them.
I had a great blog ready to write last night but then the system was down. It was the perfect cap to a horrible weekend.
The weekend started good with my son's birthday party. I went down at 3:30am to tell them it was time to turn off the Gamecube and tone it down. Then at 6 am the phone rings and it's the office, can I come in the computer is down? So I leave a house full of 11 year olds and head into the office. 2 hours later, I still don't have the system up, I call the tech and leave a message and head home to fix breakfast for the kids and get them to soccer. Game went good they won. I take the boys and beagle home and head back to the office. 3 hours later, I'm convinced it's the computer hub but no one else believes me.
Noon on Sunday I'm called again. Can I meet the IBM tech at the office the other tech is stumped. I get to work and the IBM guy walks me through switching the line to another slot in a different hub (we have three). BINGO! the computer is working. Seems the hub is not working. (Didn't I say this yesterday?) The IBM guy is amazed that we've been wiring hubs together, haven't we heard of a switch before? Well since the CFO is on the line with me today, I got to go pick up a switch from the computer store. Tomorrow morning, I get to help other people hook it up.
But the day was cool with a trip to my client's office and hopefully putting out some sparks before they become fires there.
I was told a long time ago; never believe anything that you can't confirm through an independent source.
The Internet being what it is, it's amazing how quickly hoaxes and bad information are passed along. Some emails I've received and posts on BB's I've seen contain information that is not only incorrect, it's downright dangerous if acted on.
As my DH is fond of saying, "I do wish you would quit treating people on the ‘Net as if they're real. You never know which of them is really Bubba in Cell block 4." Now, I’m not accusing anyone reading this of being incarcerated but you never know. I’ll admit to having been scammed by someone who created a false persona so that she could see what people said about her behind her back.
I remember co-hosting a radio program at night about what is real and what is technology. The host took the position that being successful in the future might very well lie in how well you lie and can compartmentalize your personas, keeping all of them straight (this was during the Clinton era of “Well it depends on your definition of ‘is’.”). I took the position of hating a future comprised of people with multiple personality disorder and lack of any moral character. Most of the callers just wanted to hear themselves talk on the radio and didn’t really have an opinion on the subject. I have to admit that it’s easier to be outgoing and vivacious on the ‘Net (it was easier to be that way in the radio studio too). It’s a lot easier than being outgoing in real life but then, again, in real life; I’m the type of person that wore a Mohawk at a conservative college (it was the early 80’s and that was more unique and unusual than it is now) and went barefoot to class all summer.
That being said, I do my best not to give out personal information in areas where it can be made public but you never know how many people were forwarded the email that you sent yesterday telling a friend about a private matter. Face it; the best rule of thumb is never write anything you don’t want the world to read. After all, if it’s online; the world might just receive it.
