Saturday, November 24, 2007

Happy Holidays!

'Tis the season again. I hope that it's great for everyone.

I guess it's back to the old grind for me, and with that, less time to do the other things I like to do. After being home for two months, and being bored, the time I do have has now become precious.

I began on Monday last week, with orientation classes for three days. I am off until Monday now. Not too bad.

I will worry about the job. It's much the same as the one I just left. Am I jumping into the fire? So I will continue to keep my options open. Because they recruited me I am hoping that they will be more supportive when problems arise, but I can't say yet. However, at least these are people I've worked with before and I know they are very good at what they do.

Thanksgiving is always interesting. We begin at his ex-wife's home to see the family. They are on good terms but it's always a little weird for me. This year seemed weirder. I'm not sure if it's just my imagination but his ex seemed a bit more distant. Did she hear from the kids that we are combining homes and is upset? Why do I think she would be? Paranoia I guess, but when she snapped at me for no reason I couldn't help but wonder if she was.

His daughter was insistent upon spending Friday evening with me included in her plans. I didn't know what those plans were but I did rearrange my plans to see her since she's here from out of state. So yesterday, when she told me that her Mom wanted her to stay home and bond, it only reinforced my feelings and my concerns.

He is gone again, off to Argentina this time, on a trip with a buddy. His text message says, "love you too".

So I smile past my worry and have much to do this week and next. I feel disconnected sometimes but the renters signed the lease, I have to get all ready for them and I have to pack. The message makes the packing easier.

Labels: holidays, job, moving, packing, relationships

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Acceptance

With an offer of a good salary and true interest in my contribution to the company, there comes a feeling of acceptance.

It seems like a long wait. I still have other interests and wonder if any of them will come through. I'm not sure if this would have been my first choice had it not now seemed to be my only choice.

I am considering taking a job that mirrors the one I left. Will my experiences, the negative ones, be the same? This is again a place wrought with problems. Will those problems once again beat me down or do I have the strength this time. Have I learned? Can I make it better?

I am not certain and this will require me to do some honest soul searching. Even if I have learned, can I apply those learnings, or is it true that an old dog can't learn new tricks?

Stand up and fight, Fido.

Labels: acceptance, job, rejection, work

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Cheers (again)

A job interview yesterday for another familiar company, one that I spent 21 years working for and never should have left. Probably the most promising. How great it was walking through the corridors and seeing all of the familiar faces.

But the one that I really want eludes me.

Labels: cheers, culture, job, work

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Cheers

Job interview today. Looking into something I once walked away from, and I'm not certain that it's not going from the frying pan......but we will see. Perhaps I won't be considered, but at least it was somewhere where I knew most of the folks and they are supportive and friendly. It's good to go where everybody knows your name and there is no Kool Aid to drink.

That was always the inference at the previous company. Because you had to become a part of the culture to a fault. I'm not certain what the culture was though. My boss's culture was to play any side of the fence that made her look good.

I think that when you work for a company you should buy into its culture, but not to the extent that you have to compromise your values or to the extent that the culture is the only way. Without the ability to develop new methods and think outside of the culture there is no improvement.

Probably just the reason that the same problems exist today.

Labels: cheers, culture, job, kool aid, work