Waiting for the world to turn

The hiring manager at the hospital gave me hope that I might hear about the position by the end of last week. That didn't happen. The HR representative stated that it would probably be the end of this coming week. After not hearing anything, I really should have known that HR is usually closer to reality on these types of things.

I spent a lot of time this past week going back and forth about how much I wanted this new job to work out, and how I could make my current job into a better situation by trying to be an agent of change. My mentor really wants me to stay because she thinks I really can be an agent of change. I have a feeling that it's going to be an extremely tough up hill battle. There's a mantra that I have been preaching for over a year to any and all who will listen:

Policy, process, and accountability

In a large organization, such controls are necessary to instill order onto chaos, and to keep disparate groups on the same page. These words are alien to my current environment. It will take some doing to convert the masses to this way of thinking. If I end up staying, I need to find the energy to become an evangelist of these ideas. However, I really don't want to stay.

What is it about a frustrating work situation that makes one fantasize about their resignation. The primary element in my fantasy involves evocation of the magic three words above, and how I need to work in an environment that knows what the words mean and values their impact on the business. Plus, of course, a good measure of "I told you so." (as in: I told you not to make me the single point of failure on a number of critical system maintenance requirements).

Why do so many of us envision leaving jobs with the very adult and professional phrase of "Ninny, ninny, boo boo," on our lips?

Virtuous employee?

OK. The snow last night wasn't as bad as they were predicting. We had a little over an inch of crunchy heavy snow. We might get some more today, but it doesn't sound horrendous.

I got up at my usual 5 a.m. and, instead of getting on the exercise bike, I bundled up and went out to clean off my car (still a bit of a workout). I started the car up to thaw off its snow crust (the stuff that wouldn't easily come off with my large heavy squeegy-thing). Then, I went back in the house to shower and dress. I left the house at 6:10. The roads weren't that bad but traffic was excrutiatingly slow just the same. But, since I left early, I was able to make up some of that time on my normal backroad route. I arrived at work at 7:10.

Off to be a super productive employee! :D

My answer to repetitive winter weather

Winter weather is outdoing itself in New England, and I have grown beyond weary with its machinations. Supposedly, we're about to get hit with another four to six inches of snow over night. While I have several meetings scheduled for tomorrow, I refuse to fight snow and traffic to go into the office. The commute normally takes me an hour. In bad, and I mean ghastly, weather it could take me nearly twice as long. My back issues make it difficult to handle a car ride of much more than an hour. So, if things look gnarly tomorrow morning, I plan to opt out of my work day.

What shall I do on my day off, assuming that I have one tomorrow?

I am seven months behind in reconciling my checking account, so maybe that should take priority? After that, I'd like to make a Valentine card for my husband. Then, well, then I have a boatload of TiVo programs queued up that are simply calling to me.

Yes, yes. I KNOW that the unreconciled checking account is a bit irresponsible. I typically keep a float of a few hundred dollars in my account to cover any overlooked expenses when I update Quicken at the end of each week (which I am quite religious about, thank you). So, it's probably not all THAT bad. Still, it would be good to be more certain of the status of my checking account, rather than relying on a general state of suspected comfort.

Another one of my personal goals has to do with music. I am organizing an 'oldies' party at my church. And, since I have a pretty obscene music collection, I've been enjoying accumulating a playlist for the evening that encompasses hits from the fifties through the eighties. Pulling the music together will probably more fun for me than the actual party, which a number of people are already really stoked for (there will be costume and trivia contests, involving gift certificates to Newbury Comics).

So, I'm trying to look on the 'bright side' of the potential for bad weather tomorrow. Heck, I'm almost rooting for it to suck in the morning.

Playing "dress up"

In hopeful anticipation of getting the position I interviewed for at the hospital, I went clothes shopping yesterday. Most women would get all a-tingle at the prospect. While I tried to make the most of it, I can't say that I reveled in the endeavor.

First off, the position I interviewed for involves a lot of politics and networking with heads of departments, managers, and board members. Therefore, I will need to dress the part. As most of you who've known me for any length of time know, I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. I am not comfortable in clothes that have to be ironed and/or dry cleaned.

Secondly, due to the girth of my butt, buying clothes (of any sort) is typically depressing. I have been flirting with the 200# mark on the scale the last few months (primarily due to stress-related eating). So, I knew I was not going to like having to deal with buying a bigger size than I did a year ago.

Fortunately, when I feel the need for nicer clothes, I shop at Dress Barn. Dress Barn has affordable clothing and a flattering sizing philosophy. So, the size I thought I'd have to buy was actually too big. (Yes, it is an illusionary victory, but I'll take it.) Plus, I found two asian-inspired shirts that look nice but are just quirky enough to make me feel like an individual while wearing them.

Shirts are really not a huge issue for me. I struggle on many levels with pants. First off, I am somewhat pear shaped. So, sometimes I have to buy pants that are one size larger than the shirts that I buy. Secondly, I have issues with the color and style of most dress pants. I prefer dark colors since they go with more things, and they (somewhat) mask the size of my butt. Also, in my universe, all pants must have front pockets, preferably to the side, and deep enough to put your hands in. (Yes, I know this isn't a professional image. However, I like putting my hands my pockets at times. It relaxes me.)

So, my haul from yesterday's trip was four blouses and one pair of black dress pants. I already have a pair of dark gray dress pants with a muted turquoise pinstripe in them, along with several other dress shirts.

If this position works out, I suppose I'll be making friends with my neighborhood dry cleaner. Not only will my clothes clean up nicer, but they iron the wrinkles out of them. I'll probably take the time to research the dry cleaners in the area to identify one that has adopted the milder chemical process that is less harmful to the environment. Then I can do something good for the planet while I dress (albeit uncomfortably) for success.

Breakthrough in the writers' strike?

An unnamed source leaked that there has been a breakthrough in talks between the two sides in the Hollywood writers' strike. This is great news on so many levels. Maybe now the AP can hire professionals to write their pieces:

The two sides breached the gap Friday on the thorniest issues, those concerning compensation for projects distributed via the Internet, said the person, who requested anonymity because he were not authorized to speak publicly.

I really do hope that the end is near. The Writers Guild of America has backed off its insistence of unionization for animation and reality shows. Now perhaps the studios can give in some ground on the flat fee verses percentage renumeration issue for Internet and mobile media distribution. Wouldn't we all like to see peace between sides in time for the Oscars on February 24th?