I was going to start this post with a rant (the bad words that I have excused from the room for today) but decided that is not the way to start a new year, so I pushed it to the side. I'll rant another day. Instead, I'll join the chorus of Babel since it's said in most languages on the planet: Happy New Year!
Further, I have decided the time has come for a new look for this little missive. The old was boring. I hope the new is more appealing. I like warm colors so that didn't change much, but the overall look is a bit different and, I do hope, more welcoming.
I hope you woke up safe, warm and hang-over free this morning. Personally, I have long since decided the new year will arrive whether or not I wait for it, so I was in bed at ten o'clock last night. Sure enough, it arrived and didn't even miss me. I knew when it got here because a bunch of neighbors were outside yelling and screaming and shooting off fireworks. I think the neighbors are getting old, too, because it didn't last every long. Maybe fifteen minutes or so.
Thinking of that now, I can just about picture some toothless old geezer sitting in a wheelchair, a rug draped over his knees, the stench of cordite swirling around him, his hands blackened with gunpowder. He's looking up at the night sky, chest heaving from the effort of striking the match, "Yep, it's here all right. That was exhausting! Ready for your prune juice Mabel?"
I also thought this morning about my chicken factory analogy from yesterday. That came a couple of years ago.
In 2012 I was let go after seventeen years working for the company I had been with. For the first three months after being "laid off", even the temporary market was barren. I got no calls - not even for something that would pay far less than my minimum. In hindsight, I suspect that it was because there was such a vast labor pool looking for temporary work but few opportunities, they cycled people through. I was at the end of the line and had to wait my turn. Once I started working, I worked fairly regularly.
In October 2012 I interviewed for a job. They wanted me but were in the midst of a restructuring. That lasted all of November and December (does the word 'frustrating' have meaning here?). I finally started working right after New Year and was doing well there.
Then, two months after I went to work there, Congress passed sequestration. The company for which I was working, a military contractor with contracts with a bunch of other military contractors, suddenly found itself holding contracts that were worthless. The companies with whom they had contracted had been hit by sequestration, too. End result, our general manager, my boss, was let go as part of a restructuring. This news came in the form of a division-wide meeting and it was while we were on our way to that that I first commented upon it being a chicken factory.
My 2012 chicken factory experience wasn't the result of my failing at my job. Instead, it was the result of competition - which is a fair basis for deciding which chicken gets hooked to the line with a Bad End. I worked for the CEO who was grooming his replacement. He wanted to step back and retire. It just happened this came at the same time that the company was suffering and needed to lay off a bunch of people. In the case, there were two chickens - one with stronger skills, the other with an 'in' with the manager needing support. The manager needing support had hired the other chicken and they had worked together for ten years. No contest and this little chicken was the one who got The Hook.
Looking back, that was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. I had been there long enough that I was getting stale in my job. Nothing was new, everything was routine, and I was getting bored (truth to tell).
Getting the boot (in the nicest possible way - they did invite me back for a three week guest appearance the year after letting me go) meant that I had a chance to try new things, see new things and learn new things. I may be an 'old dog' but I can learn new tricks and I enjoy it. It's another case of something 'bad' happening means a new opportunity arises.
So there's my backward look. My forward look is to new opportunities in personal life and in work life. That is one thing that is guaranteed. What is today won't be the same tomorrow or the day after.
Looking forward, I am making plans, deciding what I will do when the time comes and opportunity arises. I've even given thought to next Christmas and what I would like to do and have for dinner. It's pre-planning to the extreme perhaps, but it gives me a prize to strive for, something to work toward.
Life will take some major changes next year in all probability. MIL will celebrate her eighty-seventh birthday. My work situation is morphing - first into an aspect of A/P, more recently into the realm of A/R and who knows what might come next. There's the transfer I've requested and what might happen there. It's exciting to think about. There are other things, too, still private things and, when the time comes, they will become fodder for my blog so stay tuned!
In the meantime, I hope you and yours are well, safe, happy and healthy. I wish all of you only good things in the coming year - cheers!
Best~
Philippa
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilippaStories
Showing posts with label Happy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Happy. Show all posts
Friday, January 1, 2016
Sunday, October 25, 2015
A Day for Counting
I have decided enough negativity is about twenty times too much, and I have spent the last ten days or so whining, bitching, moaning and complaining. Therefore, I am going to make a determined effort count the flowers today.
Tomorrow I have a couple of meetings and a big stack of work, so I won't go in and cast around for something to do. That's always a good thing.
Yep. Overall, life is very darned good, and I'm pleased.
One of the things I want to do in the next week or so is come up with a recipe for baked potato soup. I've had it from a restaurant, and it was good, although a bit too salty for my liking. On top of the salt in the bacon, I suspect they added more for "flavor". I've also had it from Safeway - their story version. It's quite good but I like my soup thicker. Progresso makes one, too, but that one's full of chemicals and crap to keep it "fresh" inside the can.
I want rich potato taste, thick broth and lots of savory flavor. I have my ideas, so I'll give it a try next weekend. As with everything having to do with cooking, if it's edible when it goes in, it will probably be edible when it comes out, even if it's not palatable. Fortunately, my palate is pretty forgiving and I very rarely end up with something I refuse to choke down.
Instead of heavy cream and/or half-and-half, which some recipes call for, I'll go for whole milk and yogurt instead of sour cream. There's no avoiding the bacon, * snap of fingers * oh darn! Celery, a bit of green onion for the milder flavor, sauteed together in butter since this is not something that will permit olive oil, unfortunately. Lots of black pepper, because I like black pepper, and lots of potato so it will be thick. Mmmm.
Right now, though, while it sounds good it's not mouthwatering. There was left-over salad from a catered lunch on Friday. No one else wanted it, so I bagged it up and brought it home. It was pretty limp by yesterday, even worse today, but it was still tasty.
And I keep telling myself that the calorie count really isn't that bad. It's all in the dressing, right? I'll ignore the croutons and shredded Parmesan cheese (it was mostly Caesar salad).
I managed to convince hubby that I didn't want to do more house clearing this weekend and he agreed. It was a grudging agreement, but it's Sunday afternoon and he's only complained once. By next weekend I expect we'll be nearly done and he can call for the bin. I just hope it doesn't rain once the bin arrives. But it probably will. That's how these things go, right?
The NaNoWriMo exercise is getting to be a challenge. I haven't started because that would defeat the idea, but my naughty alter-ego is pushing me to start. My angel side keeps saying, 'no, not until next weekend.' Fortunately, with the intervention of a week of work, I should be able to keep my honor intact and not start before November 1. Next Sunday. One more week and then...
I've played out what the first chapter will be in my mind, and I know what will come next and next. It's just hard not to put it down on paper. But I won't. Not until it's time and the starting gate lifts.
Looking in on the NaNo site I get the sense that some people are pushing the boundary. That they've started their writing. One even said they'll "reduce their November word count" by whatever number they have before then. Uh, yeah. Uh huh.
Sorry - but if you're going to cheat once, why would I think you won't cheat again?
Whatever. It's not really a competition with others. It's a competition with self - a how much quality can I put down on paper in thirty days? My goal is to get the 50k down in ten days and then spend the next twenty days editing and cleaning. That's pretty ambitious. Five thousand words per day, consistently. I just checked, copying from 'Shady' and discovered that five thousand words is roughly eighteen pages in Word. That's a lot of pages everyday and everyday.
But, it's a goal - not a requirement, so we'll see.
Anyway. Life and hubby are calling so I'm going to wrap this up. I hope you have a lovely day. Take a minute and count your blessings, too. Even the little ones have value - never take the good for granted.
Best~
Philippa
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilippaStories
- I woke up early, feeling rested.
- I got my chores done in good time.
- I have my eyesight
- It's a beautiful day outside.
- I have my mobility.
- The laundry is hanging on the line, absorbing the sunshine.
- I have my marbles and play with them regularly.
- I've spent hours writing, working on 'In A Green & Shady Place' before I set it aside for the month of November.
Tomorrow I have a couple of meetings and a big stack of work, so I won't go in and cast around for something to do. That's always a good thing.
Yep. Overall, life is very darned good, and I'm pleased.
One of the things I want to do in the next week or so is come up with a recipe for baked potato soup. I've had it from a restaurant, and it was good, although a bit too salty for my liking. On top of the salt in the bacon, I suspect they added more for "flavor". I've also had it from Safeway - their story version. It's quite good but I like my soup thicker. Progresso makes one, too, but that one's full of chemicals and crap to keep it "fresh" inside the can.
I want rich potato taste, thick broth and lots of savory flavor. I have my ideas, so I'll give it a try next weekend. As with everything having to do with cooking, if it's edible when it goes in, it will probably be edible when it comes out, even if it's not palatable. Fortunately, my palate is pretty forgiving and I very rarely end up with something I refuse to choke down.
Instead of heavy cream and/or half-and-half, which some recipes call for, I'll go for whole milk and yogurt instead of sour cream. There's no avoiding the bacon, * snap of fingers * oh darn! Celery, a bit of green onion for the milder flavor, sauteed together in butter since this is not something that will permit olive oil, unfortunately. Lots of black pepper, because I like black pepper, and lots of potato so it will be thick. Mmmm.
Right now, though, while it sounds good it's not mouthwatering. There was left-over salad from a catered lunch on Friday. No one else wanted it, so I bagged it up and brought it home. It was pretty limp by yesterday, even worse today, but it was still tasty.
And I keep telling myself that the calorie count really isn't that bad. It's all in the dressing, right? I'll ignore the croutons and shredded Parmesan cheese (it was mostly Caesar salad).
I managed to convince hubby that I didn't want to do more house clearing this weekend and he agreed. It was a grudging agreement, but it's Sunday afternoon and he's only complained once. By next weekend I expect we'll be nearly done and he can call for the bin. I just hope it doesn't rain once the bin arrives. But it probably will. That's how these things go, right?
The NaNoWriMo exercise is getting to be a challenge. I haven't started because that would defeat the idea, but my naughty alter-ego is pushing me to start. My angel side keeps saying, 'no, not until next weekend.' Fortunately, with the intervention of a week of work, I should be able to keep my honor intact and not start before November 1. Next Sunday. One more week and then...
I've played out what the first chapter will be in my mind, and I know what will come next and next. It's just hard not to put it down on paper. But I won't. Not until it's time and the starting gate lifts.
Looking in on the NaNo site I get the sense that some people are pushing the boundary. That they've started their writing. One even said they'll "reduce their November word count" by whatever number they have before then. Uh, yeah. Uh huh.
Sorry - but if you're going to cheat once, why would I think you won't cheat again?
Whatever. It's not really a competition with others. It's a competition with self - a how much quality can I put down on paper in thirty days? My goal is to get the 50k down in ten days and then spend the next twenty days editing and cleaning. That's pretty ambitious. Five thousand words per day, consistently. I just checked, copying from 'Shady' and discovered that five thousand words is roughly eighteen pages in Word. That's a lot of pages everyday and everyday.
But, it's a goal - not a requirement, so we'll see.
Anyway. Life and hubby are calling so I'm going to wrap this up. I hope you have a lovely day. Take a minute and count your blessings, too. Even the little ones have value - never take the good for granted.
Best~
Philippa
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilippaStories
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Wow! Thanks, Google!
What a nice surprise!
On my birthday morning I fire up the laptop and go to Google and... they're throwing a party for me today, with cake and cupcakes and everything.
I know, I know, it's for something else, but still. It's my birthday and I'll decide what that is and for me, it's a spread in honor of My Day. And everyone else who happens to share this day as their day. Like one of my co-workers.
Aside from that cheerful little wake-up, I expect today will be pretty much like every other day. The challenge I was set at work two weeks ago is gradually being pushed back into control. I have another stack of papers on my desk to deal with, but that's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
I started on it yesterday afternoon and got all the way through it once, sorting this from that from the other, so now I know where things stand. From there, I've already asked a pertinent question about one group. I have to ask for more information on another, but the majority of what's there can just be dealt with. A few hours, at most, and it will be done. Then I can send the report off and that bit of the world will be happy.
Then there's another group that has to be handled. And that will take more time and energy but that's perfectly okay by me. God knows why, but I enjoy it.
I think it's because it's problem solving. I see it as a puzzle, of sorts. Which I enjoy. Before I got started on this, this morning, I spent a little time playing Farm Heroes and then I played Mahjong. You can see where my priorities lie from that, right?
The best thing about those puzzles is that they're fairly easy. Not too hard, but sometimes difficult enough to be satisfying. Like now.
At work we have a backlog. A really bad, serious, messy backlog because someone didn't do what they were supposed to be doing and were either too lazy or too insecure and unsure of themselves to ask questions. So they shoved things aside. A lot of things got shoved aside, probably with an "I'll deal with that later" promise to self. Unfortunately, 'later' never showed up at the door, so the things just sat around on the shelf getting more and more stale by the day.
Then they left and... voila! Their problem became someone else's problem. Hearing about the problem, and having dealt with a similar problem before, I spoke up and offered to help out. Which is what I've been doing.
Because it is a scramble to get the cars back on the track before the world implodes around us, it's a challenge, and it's fun. I've spoken to those with whom I need to speak, to buy a little bit more time. I made promises which I'll keep. Today's report being one of them, although I'll also be asking a question which requires more work from them, but that's okay.
Then there's the knot where three entities all collide.
Company A does this. Company B does that, which supplements Company A's 'this'. Both look to us, Company C for another thing. The problem is, sometimes Company A asks for another thing, but mostly they don't because Company B is going to ask us for another thing. Sometimes they both ask us for that another thing, and then we have a knot. Both of them want the same thing from us, but if Company A gets there first, we give it to them, first. Then Company B comes and says, "we want it" and we have to say, "No, we already gave it to Company A. You'll have to ask them for it." And Company B gets sulky and whines and... It's not pretty.
So I asked a question yesterday, a 'how can we keep this from happening' question and sent it off to Company A. I don't think it will matter because there are other, outside factors that affect this, too. It's like a solar system with all the moving parts. This does that, that does this, and all are affected by other things. But, we'll see.
If Company A can modify it's process just a little bit, a one degree nudge and probably no more, all will be well with this particular solar system. If they can't, then we'll be where we are and we'll have the conflicting needs, wants and desires. And that's life.
And I get to deal with more of the same today - which I enjoy because it is simple yet satisfying. It's not a burden I typically carry home with me. It's not a weighty problem that keeps me up at night. It's not something that will get into the shower with me. It's just sitting on my desk, resting quietly and waiting for my arrival.
Which is why I like it. I've had the weighty problems, the midnight thoughts and worries, the "how on Earth am I going to accomplish that in that amount of time?" and I'm done with that. So this is good - challenge enough to keep my interest, varied enough to make me happy. Yep. Thinking about it in those terms, it's definitely not rocket science, but it's pretty darned good, ya know?
Now - I'm off to get to work and start whipping that pile of stuff into shape. Hope your day is lovely, too!
Best~
Philippa
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilippaStories
On my birthday morning I fire up the laptop and go to Google and... they're throwing a party for me today, with cake and cupcakes and everything.
I know, I know, it's for something else, but still. It's my birthday and I'll decide what that is and for me, it's a spread in honor of My Day. And everyone else who happens to share this day as their day. Like one of my co-workers.
Aside from that cheerful little wake-up, I expect today will be pretty much like every other day. The challenge I was set at work two weeks ago is gradually being pushed back into control. I have another stack of papers on my desk to deal with, but that's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
I started on it yesterday afternoon and got all the way through it once, sorting this from that from the other, so now I know where things stand. From there, I've already asked a pertinent question about one group. I have to ask for more information on another, but the majority of what's there can just be dealt with. A few hours, at most, and it will be done. Then I can send the report off and that bit of the world will be happy.
Then there's another group that has to be handled. And that will take more time and energy but that's perfectly okay by me. God knows why, but I enjoy it.
I think it's because it's problem solving. I see it as a puzzle, of sorts. Which I enjoy. Before I got started on this, this morning, I spent a little time playing Farm Heroes and then I played Mahjong. You can see where my priorities lie from that, right?
The best thing about those puzzles is that they're fairly easy. Not too hard, but sometimes difficult enough to be satisfying. Like now.
At work we have a backlog. A really bad, serious, messy backlog because someone didn't do what they were supposed to be doing and were either too lazy or too insecure and unsure of themselves to ask questions. So they shoved things aside. A lot of things got shoved aside, probably with an "I'll deal with that later" promise to self. Unfortunately, 'later' never showed up at the door, so the things just sat around on the shelf getting more and more stale by the day.
Then they left and... voila! Their problem became someone else's problem. Hearing about the problem, and having dealt with a similar problem before, I spoke up and offered to help out. Which is what I've been doing.
Because it is a scramble to get the cars back on the track before the world implodes around us, it's a challenge, and it's fun. I've spoken to those with whom I need to speak, to buy a little bit more time. I made promises which I'll keep. Today's report being one of them, although I'll also be asking a question which requires more work from them, but that's okay.
Then there's the knot where three entities all collide.
Company A does this. Company B does that, which supplements Company A's 'this'. Both look to us, Company C for another thing. The problem is, sometimes Company A asks for another thing, but mostly they don't because Company B is going to ask us for another thing. Sometimes they both ask us for that another thing, and then we have a knot. Both of them want the same thing from us, but if Company A gets there first, we give it to them, first. Then Company B comes and says, "we want it" and we have to say, "No, we already gave it to Company A. You'll have to ask them for it." And Company B gets sulky and whines and... It's not pretty.
So I asked a question yesterday, a 'how can we keep this from happening' question and sent it off to Company A. I don't think it will matter because there are other, outside factors that affect this, too. It's like a solar system with all the moving parts. This does that, that does this, and all are affected by other things. But, we'll see.
If Company A can modify it's process just a little bit, a one degree nudge and probably no more, all will be well with this particular solar system. If they can't, then we'll be where we are and we'll have the conflicting needs, wants and desires. And that's life.
And I get to deal with more of the same today - which I enjoy because it is simple yet satisfying. It's not a burden I typically carry home with me. It's not a weighty problem that keeps me up at night. It's not something that will get into the shower with me. It's just sitting on my desk, resting quietly and waiting for my arrival.
Which is why I like it. I've had the weighty problems, the midnight thoughts and worries, the "how on Earth am I going to accomplish that in that amount of time?" and I'm done with that. So this is good - challenge enough to keep my interest, varied enough to make me happy. Yep. Thinking about it in those terms, it's definitely not rocket science, but it's pretty darned good, ya know?
Now - I'm off to get to work and start whipping that pile of stuff into shape. Hope your day is lovely, too!
Best~
Philippa
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilippaStories
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Full-up
No half empty / half full nonsense for me today, thanks. I am full-up this morning. Happy and feeling good about everything. Pretty much like this:
I have no idea why that is, but I am so I'll go with it because I like feeling this way. Much better than grumpy and gloomy.
I have much for which to be thankful. I have a job that I like. Piles of work to weed through and lots of different things to keep me busy. I like variety - the more the merrier - so having lots of different things to choose from is always good.
This morning I get to take a walk from my satellite office down to the main office. It's about 1/4 of a mile there and back, past a field in which there are wildflowers.
I don't know what they are, but the plants are leggy with blue flowers that bloom in the morning and burn by afternoon. Next morning, another crop of flowers appear. A reminder of the transient nature of life. They're pretty, anyway.
There are birds - mourning doves and scrub jays (our version of a bluejay):
By the time I come back after my meeting, the day will be warming. It's supposed to be in the 80's or 90's today and tomorrow and up around 100 Thursday. As a general rule, I don't like the heat, but it does feel good on my short walk because the main office is kept cold. By the time I get out of there, the sun will be very welcome until I get halfway back. Then I'll be looking forward to getting inside again.
There are big trees behind my building, so my car will be shaded for hours before I have to climb in for the drive home.
So, you see? I have very little about which to complain. Instead, I have much for which to be happy and thankful. It all depends on where I choose to focus and, today, I choose to focus on the Party Cat.
I hope your day is lovely, too.
Best~
Philippa
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/philippastories
I have no idea why that is, but I am so I'll go with it because I like feeling this way. Much better than grumpy and gloomy.
I have much for which to be thankful. I have a job that I like. Piles of work to weed through and lots of different things to keep me busy. I like variety - the more the merrier - so having lots of different things to choose from is always good.
This morning I get to take a walk from my satellite office down to the main office. It's about 1/4 of a mile there and back, past a field in which there are wildflowers.
I don't know what they are, but the plants are leggy with blue flowers that bloom in the morning and burn by afternoon. Next morning, another crop of flowers appear. A reminder of the transient nature of life. They're pretty, anyway.
There are birds - mourning doves and scrub jays (our version of a bluejay):
By the time I come back after my meeting, the day will be warming. It's supposed to be in the 80's or 90's today and tomorrow and up around 100 Thursday. As a general rule, I don't like the heat, but it does feel good on my short walk because the main office is kept cold. By the time I get out of there, the sun will be very welcome until I get halfway back. Then I'll be looking forward to getting inside again.
There are big trees behind my building, so my car will be shaded for hours before I have to climb in for the drive home.
So, you see? I have very little about which to complain. Instead, I have much for which to be happy and thankful. It all depends on where I choose to focus and, today, I choose to focus on the Party Cat.
I hope your day is lovely, too.
Best~
Philippa
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/philippastories
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