Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Another Year is Passing Me By

Tomorrow is the recording of the big 4-3. Not much has affected me as I get older, but I find today that I am starting to have trouble with it. Right now, it seems as if my life is passing me by. All I seem to do right now is work (10 or more hours a day) and doing homework (Feels like I'm always catching up), with workouts (also homework to an extent), yoga and a few fun things sprinkled about here and there. Although I am doing things to try to make my life better, I still feel at the same time that I'm just existing. This is just downright getting depressing.

Last weekend, we did a "Best Picture Showcase" at the AMC theatre, where we watched all 5 Oscar nominated films - this equated to about 10.5 hours of sitting down, with the other 1.5 hours trying to walk around and get some exercise in between. Kirsten and I started doing this last year when this event first came about; this year Karen went with us - we got the seats we wanted with some space to spare (and much needed). It was fun but tiring by the time we were done. The entire day was just flat out busy - period. I'm not sure that I completely wound down and relaxed as much as I hoped I would.

Anyway a recap of the movies:

Michael Clayton - the end started first, George Clooney is "HOT" as well as a great actor. The story line was a little difficult to follow at first, but once you got mid-way into the movie, you saw what was up. Great cast, great story.

There Will Be Blood - good reason that Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for this movie. He really stretches past his boundaries when he acts, and this story pushed him to the edge of sanity in his character. Movie was pretty intense in many spots. Really would recommend seeing it.

Atonement - somewhat of a disappointment, not what I expected (not that I had much of an expectation). Good acting, bur really, when I think about it, it was more about a little girl that did something dreadful - although she didn't think so at the time. A film full of regrets and what ifs. Too depressing for me.

Juno - the best movie I have seen in a long time! But sadly enough, Michael Cera and Jason Bateman didn't have a single scene together - oh, what I would have given to have that chemistry come back (reminicent of Arrested Development). There was a really good reason why Ellen Page was selected for a Best-Actress nomination. A 21-year old that plays a 16-year old - been done by older girls, but man, does she pull it off most excellently! Great lines such as "that ain't no etch-a-sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, homeskillet" or "I've got to pee like Seabiscuit" (which puts "pee like a rushing race horse" to shame). The lines and humor just flow out of Juno's mouth like a chocolate shake - A definite MUST SEE movie. . .

No Country for Old Men - Wow, that Javier Bardem is one HOT foreign dude, and man, does he play the psychotic bad guy to a "T"! A messy movie with a not-really-ending ending (bad guy doesn't die, does a lot of damage in the meantime). Might have to watch that one again, think I missed something. Powerful movie, though - and explains the real use of a portable air tank.

Time to go to bed and get some sleep for the "Big Day." Catch y'all on the flip side!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Work Review

Today was my review at work. I've been there technically nearly 4 years now (as of March 31), but officially, my start date is June 17th. It's been an interesting 4 years - the longest I have been at one job. When I first started, I thought I'd just get in there for a couple of years, learn some new things and move on. Now that I'm in my 4th year, I'd be silly to leave now - I've got 14 days of vacation, but will get 19 days Jan 1, 2009. I want that extra time!

On with the review - my now previous boss Skip came to do the review for me. Todd was sitting in on most of the reviews; however, he didn't get to sit in mine until the end as he was on a pretty important conference call. As I've mentioned in the past, Skip and I are honest with each other so his reviews don't surprise me at all. We talk about all that I do well (which, not to brag, but I score very well), as well as what I need to improve - note that I don't say what I do wrong. We always work to keep everything on an upbeat note. The places where I still need improvement:

1) Susan's desire to accomplish is sometimes perceived as aggressive

2) Sensitivity to others and listening are attributes to develop

3) Work to maintain empathy for teammates and respect other's schedules (meaning, when my TMs are busy, I shouldn't hound them for things - but I have to, not sure how to get around this one!!)

Overall, I got an "Exceeds Most Expectations" which is still very good. I'm still working towards the big "Far Exceeds Expectations" which is difficult to get to, but I'm pretty close in a couple of areas. I know where my faults lie as well as my strengths. Now I have to wait another 2 weeks to see what the big raise will be :) Not sure if the big promotion and raise will happen, I'm kinda doubting it since Corporate has been so cheap the last couple of years.

After we get the new SA hired, I get to do a lot of new stuff, including cross training in sales and teaching local classes. I'm pretty excited about that! Need to get into that Toastmaster's Club, now. Did I mention that one of my lessor attributes is procrastination for the non-high-priority-but-still-need-to-do-it activities?

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Lessons to Learn

What we would like to be in life isn't always going to be. As we get older, we find that things take a little longer to happen - weightloss, accumulation of wealth (unless you are REALLY lucky), work, etc. I have been laid off of work 3 times within a 10 year period - the first 2 times, I found work immediately. After the 3rd time, it took me almost 2 years to find another permanent job. In that 2 year time, I worked temp jobs, contract jobs, whatever it took to make some money. At times, I became pretty bummed out, sometimes slightly depressed - but I always knew things would work out for the better. Although I don't always like this saying it is true - when one door closes another one opens. It might take awhile to find that new door, but it does happen. Just stay as positive as you can and keep looking because, by george, opportunity isn't going to come and tap you on the shoulder unless you give it the chance to do so!

At work, we've been trying to get our new SA hired. I worked hard to get this person we were going to bring on - working as a temp to help me out and more importantly, our customers. Then I found Friday that after going through all of the processes for the final chapters to get her on full-time, she can't work for us because of something in her background check. I'm so bummed out I can't believe it. I've also come to be a little mad as well. Knowing that she was going to go through this background check, why in the world did she not mention something to my boss? Armed with a little bit of information in the beginning, he could have warded off questions and still gotten her hired - but guess she didn't think that whatever it was would come back to haunt her. Now we are back to square one, scrambling to find out how we are going to make this work. DAMN IT!

Yesterday, I went to this cheerleading event called "JamFest" to show support for my ex-roommates daughter, Alexa. She is on a squad for special needs kids - boy, did that group of girls have a HUGE cheering section! There were 2 teams of this type at the session I was at - the girls did well, and the kids that help them are just awesome. It takes a lot of patience to work with down syndrome kids, as well as any other type of physical/mental disability - I really applaud these teens for being so giving of themselves and their time to make those girls feel like being a part of such an activity.

School is going well so far - I'm getting a straight-up perfect score on all of my assignments. My weightlifting class is going well, too - hoping to start really seeing some results happen within the next couple of weeks (at least before I go to Las Vegas). If I can get A's in those classes, I'll be doing pretty well. Took on a 4 week accelerated class as well, that month should be pretty uneventful so I can concentrate on that classwork. After school is out (around May 5th), think that will be when I take my trip to Washington DC. Reminder to self: contact my cousin Kevin to start those plans. . .

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

New Boss

Back in early December, the same day as our District Meeting at work and the "in-house" Christmas Party we had, my boss, Skip, announced he was moving into another position within our area (the "area" in Lennox for us consists of 3 districts - Salt Lake, Phoenix and Denver). Skip had been working in our Denver District for 14 years out of his 33 year career at Lennox - pretty unheard of. He was going to become our Area Business Development Manager. I think he recognized that he needed a change and that we needed some new leadership.

Anyway, Skip made the announcement while I was out of the office picking up food for our Christmas Party - the meeting was nearly out when I got back. He pulled me into his office and told me he waited as long as he could before I got back, but had to finally just say it. All of us were in shock at first, guess we thought Skip would stay until he retired in a couple more years. I became a little emotional - I've worked with him for nearly 4 years, we've had a good working relationship. Always honest with each other, we worked well together.

The following Tuesday, our new District Manager would be coming in. Skip couldn't tell us who it would be, but we would find out soon. There was little speculation, as we had a good idea as to who be filling the job. Todd, a guy who was hired by Lennox in March of last year as a Regional Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Manager walked through the door that day with our Area Manager Brent - very excited and a little nervous, I am quite sure. Skip met them both for lunch before they came to the office, but he didn't come back the rest of the day. Todd met with myself, our FTC, Ops Manager and the sales people that day, talking about his experience and goals for us. It's almost like he was just made for the job. Although Todd's "official" first day wasn't to be until January 1st, he was in our office nearly everyday the rest of the year learning from Skip, talking with everyone about what we'd like to see improve and what our goals are. When January 2nd rolled around, the office was his.

Being the helpful and efficient assistantI am, when Todd and the TMs went to their annual sales meeting the middle of January, I purchased a computer desk, some closet storage and a nice chair and went to work on setting his office up. The computer desk before consisted of 2 - two drawer file cabinets and a piece of cabinet sitting on top of them. I just don't understand how Skip worked like that all those years. He was (and still is) so frugal, that he used one of the cheap Sam's club rolling chairs - from the training room - as his office chair. They are just the most uncomfortable things. When Todd got back, he had an organized closet (had to organize his Lennox SWAG and such), a new chair and an actual computer desk. Oh, and 3 new plants and a bookcase from another small office. Finally, he has a work space he can use for awhile - until we get approval to start purchasing new office furniture - woohoo!

It's been almost 2 months that we've had Todd here now, and he's already making an impact. The attitude in our office is much less tense and there is a sense that positive changes will be made that will help us accomplish our district's goals. He has no tolerance for meanness, and where he is able, he'll help "push" along changes in our office. Don't know if we will be able to get rid of the other 2 cancers in the warehouse, but hopefully something will come about in the not too distant future.

All in all, I really like my new boss. He's even going to buy my compound bow and accessories that have been stored away for 10 years (hardly used, still in like-new condition). Wow - I'll make some money on this guy!!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Failure

As I get older, I find that failure is less of an option. Taking so long to figure out what I want to do with my life, I'm old enough that I just can't fathom the thought of not doing well in whatever I choose to do. It is with that philosophy that I find myself dropping my English Comp I class already. Although I thought I had gotten all of the information I could from my online class links and such, I still didn't find what I needed and will not be able to get my first assignments done. Since I don't want to fail this class right out of the gate, I decided to just drop it for now - I'll probably re-start it again in the fall. I'm looking to take a lot of accelerated classes, so pending schedules, if I plan everything right, I could take 3 of those a semester and still only have to concentrate on one class at a time. Changing my direction. Instead of just getting an AA at ACC for a particular area, I'm going to work on the general studies with business emphasis to get me through the AA degree, where all of the credits are transferrable to a 4-yr college. Then I can get most of my general studies out of the way and accomplish a little bigger goal. Just wish it wouldn't have taken me this long to figure out!

Stay tuned - I still have time to drop/add another class!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Dang it's cold out there!

We've been in somewhat of a deep freeze for the nearly the last 2 weeks. We reached 60 degrees a couple of weeks ago - long enough to get the driveway cleaned up from the last snowstorm - to just have it dive into instant coldness. We haven't had much snow since then, just dustings here and there. Karen bought a snowblower, has been hoping to use it since she got it about a week ago. I'm thinking "keep the wishing to yourself, it'll happen soon enough!"

The end of the previous year was pretty uneventful. Went to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving, had a good time, saw some family, shopped, etc. Bret and I were going to hit a Pirate exhibit at the museum, but didn't make it in time. I didn't want to do the IMAX movie without getting our money's worth, so we drove around downtown, saw where my cousin Bo lives (he's an exec of sorts for Federated, corporation that owns Macy's and several other department stores), then went to a whole in the wall burger joint for a pretty decent cheeseburger. I do really want to visit that museum the next time I am out there, though. It looks like an absolutely fabulous place! Hopefully that Pirate exhibit will make it to Colorado sometime soon as well.

Got to hang out with my cousin Tammy and her family for an evening, we went to this great little Greek restaurant just down the street from their house. The people that own it are really nice (the owner, who works at a hospital in Dayton during the day, is such a good-looking, personable kind of guy), and the food is pretty good. Decorated in royal blue and white, they apparently have some cool party nights on the weekends.

Got through my leadership class with flying colors (some say - no surprise, but there is so much more to it than y'all think!). Just started back to school this week, taking English Comp I, Customer Service and a weightlifting class - yes, an actual class where I have to record what I do, purchase a book to study from and take a test! And yes, we do workout in it. Its so comprehensive that with the new eating lifestyle I've taken on, I can do nothing but lose a lot of weight over the course of the next few months! I'm forced to lose weight to get a good grade - go figure!

Christmas saw us going to Oklahoma to see Karen and Jim's folks again. My mom came up and spent a couple of days there as well. I think this is the first time in 25 years I've made such a killing at Christmas! I mean, I did get alot of stuff, much of it was small. But it's more that it just meant a lot to me that I am included as a part of the family. Although Colorado will always be my home (whether I move or not), I really miss my family in Ohio as well as out here. The only close relationship I have here is with my nephew, haven't talked to my aunts for a few years now. I have plenty of close relationships with family on my Mom's side and I would love to see them all a whole lot more.

I did find out that my uncle Mike passed away (my dad's sister's husband). Now please understand, I don't usually "hate" anyone - that is a pretty strong word. But I despised that man - truly believe he was the devil. Mean right down to the core. My aunt used to have lots of money, but he pissed it all away for her through gambling, although I don't know what happened this last time. She had to file bankruptcy twice. He tried at every chance to keep her from spending quality time with her family, didn't like her spending any time with my dad - which upset him greatly - if Linda wanted to stay the night at my dad's house, Mike would whine until she went home that night. I truly believe that she will be better off without him. Maybe get some relationships back. I'm probably going to try and contact her in a few months when things die down. Do a little "background" work first to see what she's going to do. If she decides to talk to me again, that would be great. If not, so be it.

So anyway, on with the life thing. Let's talk sports - Colorado Mammoth (pro lacrosse team that Boots and I have season tickets for) started up on December 29th. So far they are 2-0. Still exciting games, lots of friends go to them. Keeps me in sports for awhile. Also just renewed my Rockie's Ladies Night tickets as well. Kirsten's mom is giving me an opening day ticket, so I took that Friday off - it'll be a blast to get started back up into baseball season again! April 4 - here we come (Have a Mammoth game the night before on the 3rd, so at least I don't have to get up early)! I'm thinking that Boots and I may go for the outdoor lacrosse tix this year as well, we've talked about it for 2 years, just haven't done anything about it. Maybe just a couple of games to start with, we'll see.

Going to Las Vegas for work the beginning of March, decided to go in a couple of days early to just have some fun. It's NASCAR weekend (wish I could go, but maybe next year), so it will be a busy weekend with a bunch of good friends, as well as fun people yet to meet! My friends that are coming with me are Connie, Tish and Kim. Karen can't come with due to work (she can't get that Monday off), so I'll have to get her there another time. So, anywhoo - we are staying at the recently (within last couple of years) opened Hooters casino/hotel near the MGM Grand - that outta be a HOOT (pun intended, thank you very much). Thinking we need to go to the "Thunder Down Under" show. Then find a couple of key places where we can do some serious people watching - there will definitely be interesting ones to see! I'm very excited, especially since Connie and Tish have never been to Vegas, and Kim hasn't been on the "strip" for around 20 years. It'll be a whole new world for all of them! Better get my good walking shoes out - as well as the athletic tape. I'm gonna be hurtin'. . .

So here I am now, cold weather a-foot, sitting at my new desk and new computer that I got a month ago (Xmas AND bday presents to myself), getting ready to hit the homework again. Thank goodness they are both online classes, I can *almost* work at any pace I want. Just as long as I get my assignments in on time. So my update is done, hope to keep this up a little better for the future - not letting 2 months slip by before I let y'all know how I'm doing!

Ciao for now. . .

Monday, January 7, 2008

It's snowing. . . again

Although we haven't had nearly the snow we did last year, we are having more than previous to the Blizzard of 2006. Missed seeing it snow on Christmas Day - I heard the last time it happened was some 50 years ago. I'm pretty sure it has snowed on Christmas before then, I'll just have to check the record books.

So, yes, its been awhile since I've been posting, a lot has been going on, yet at the same time not too much. I'll post later to get y'all caught up with the antics of me. In the meantime, hang in there - I'll be back!