Yay @ Personal Business Allowance!

I'm so psyched that Dell employees get 80hrs/yr for PBA! I no longer have to burn my vacation time for sick days, doctors appointments, parent/teacher conferences, etc. It's been YEARS since I had any type of sick leave benefit, this is great. Plus Dell's benefits are way better than Perot's anyway, more choices and less expensive. This is working out nicely so far. :)

Ouch. More Please.

Ok, so I facebook-friended a very senior client. I value his opinion, but receiving constructive criticism is not something I'm accustomed to or familiar with. He said "* You do need to work a bit on your Facebook posts. Many fall into the category “I am eating soup now,” which is hard for me to imagine others find very interesting. There is a fine line between keeping friends and colleagues up to date on important things in your life and internet assisted navel gazing.”

Dell Perot

I'm hoping to use the Dell/Perot acquisition as inspiration for other change.

Irony

I've been tinkering w/my blog (obviously) and set it to show only the last two posts. Every time the page has loaded since my last post, the irony strikes me of "a raise" followed immediately thereafter by a "shape up" notice. Hm. I am already realizing the benefits of why I needed to get my schedule and focus together - it feels way better to have full productive days than short distracted days.

I've also been tinkering w/Phoebe's blog, which is what led me to tinker w/rss feeds, which is what led to the extensive tinkering of both my smfuller and mypsgs blogs. Neat. Distracting. Not nearly as distracting though as facebook still is! My friends list is mostly MDIHS'ers, many of whom are still on the Island, or elsewhere in Maine. Their status notes make me miss home. Well, not all that rain, good lord.

I'm the unofficial code social coordinator - we end up having a pot luck lunch about once every two months - today we're having Taco's. I'm off to find some sort of teambuilding/icebreaker activity or game or something. :)

Shape Up or Ship Out

Okay... I should have known this was coming... I just got warned to either shape up or ship out. Shame on me. Time to implement some of the changes I've been stewing on for far too long, starting with getting my lazy ass to work in time for the morning huddle, being involved is the only way to be useful. Being frustrated with ones SELF is the worst. :(

Good News - a Raise!

The good news is that Perot lifted its hold on merit pay increases. The cost-saving measure was effective for Perot Systems Corporate, but most Perot Systems Government Services contracts INCLUDE escalation clauses - so freezing our pay was actually hurting company revenue.

My 4.6% increase didn't at first seem all that great, until I put it in perspective - it's kinda like compound interest - 4.6% of my fresh-out-of-college salary wasn't much - but THIS 4.6% is just over $350/month (before taxes anyway) - that should make a noticeable difference (even after taxes).

Rather than normal bills, I'm hoping to redirect this raise to an online investment account. I still have to find and setup said investment account, but I'm determined to get investing. I'm already looking forward to the fun of tracking and managing - better get my horse in front of the cart. :)

Birdy Family

There are a couple brave birdy families who have built nests on our front porch and in the honeysuckle at our garage back door. We watched the nests form (remarkably quickly), and soon enough there were eggs. The birdys flit away angrily every time we go in or out, but that's their problem, we were there first. JR loves having the birdy families around - and is currently furious with his kitty for killing one of the parents. We hear the other little birdy singing and calling for its partner, and it makes JR so sad that there's no answer. That's twice now I've seen JR uncharacteristically moved by birds - last year it was a momma duck and her trail of little quacklings, and now these little songbirds. He's softer and sweeter than he would like to admit.

Seriously Need a Break

I have been at this far too long to have never taken a break. I am starting to really resent all the demands on my time, even the perfectly legit ones. Somehow I'm no longer entitled to any "me" time, at all, none. My every waking moment is spent servicing and supporting my household. And it tears me up to feel that resentment towards the people I love most!

First Layoffs

I've been feeling so fortunate, to be so confidently gainfully employed during such global economic uncertainty. Perot [Govt Services] just let go six associates - out of 3300 that's not bad (unless you happen to be one of the six). I've been feeling "the itch" - the professional restlessness I ususally experience after a few years at any job: time to move on. This "reduction in staff" announcement has been a little reminder that I don't have it so bad.

The Circle Game

I absolutely LOVE that Phoebe's most favorite and most-requested lullaby is Joni Mitchell's Circle Game. I've been singing it to her for so long, that it doesn't sound right to my ear anymore when I hear Joni Mitchell's version! I changed it to be about a little girl when I started singing it for Phoebe, and now I sometimes can't get it right for Christopher, he gets a mixed girl/boy version. :)

But boy... the circle game is kicking my ASS lately. My daily grind is reasonably palatable, but it's still the daily grind. I need to train myself to be my own life coach, to be a better prioritizer, to be my own motivator, always trying to set a better example. I think my parents were better parents than their parents were, I want to be even better, and I want Phoebe to strive for even better! That's a tall order on all accounts.

Okay, off to try for a productive day at work. I'm fighting off a cold or something, and it's easier and more restful to go to work than it is to stay home w/JR & Christopher! What a nut job I married.

The Gospel of Mary

I can't find it now, but yesterday I found a summary of the Gospel of Mary that enlightened me to the idea that there are tons of other historical gospel and/or gnostic writings that were not included in the Bible. For someone as comfortable as I am w/my own spiritual standing, I sure do spend a fair amount of time wondering about it... I'm not much interested in pursuing an advanced degree, but I'm toying with the idea of taking community college classes for the fun of it. I think I'd enjoy a woodworking class, some exploratory religious classes, maybe some psychology... that doesn't sound like a bad way to get some "me" time! :)

Mourning the End of an Era

Little Mister Christopher & I are on day three w/no boobs. While I am anxious to have my body to myself again, I do already miss spending that quiet intimate time with him. Plus there's nothing more convenient than whippin' out a boob - I hate having to make bottles, especially in the middle of the night.

Then I remind myself that our nursing had turned into a game for him - lets see how Mommy reacts when I bite this one! I wonder if it'll hurt when I smack the other one! Latch on. Let go. Latch on. Let go. So it wasn't really all that quiet intimacy I like to remember anymore anyway. :)

Wholly Unproductive

There are several factors impacting my ability to be productive at work. I'm not sure which is the most influential factor, so I'm gonna have to tackle them all simultaneously. The first and most obvious is facebook - holy cow what an addiction! I'm feeling very close to all my "friends" (many of whom I would not even have remembered if not for facebook, so how close could they really be, right?). If self-discipline doesn't prevail soon, I may request intervention - like maybe suggest the IT Dept block the site! But I'll try less drastic measures first, like maybe set aside ten minutes twice a day to facebook.

Another factor is my mgmt. I was brought on by the "prior administration" who was familiar with my strenghts, he knew how to utilize my talents, and did so without much regard to office politics. When I spoke w/the current CDR about my being more helpful to her, she kinda said professional development wasn't her bailywick and din't offer much guidance. The current civilian manager won't do much for fear of stepping on union toes. And my PSGS management is absolutely 100% clueless regarding my day-to-day work, if my customers don't complain and keep awarding task order extensions, then PSGS considers my performance "distinguished"!

Another, less approachable factor, is federal bureaucracy. I have long been frustrated that the Navy can safely oversee the construction of nuclear-powered vessels, but can't manage to track its own commitments. C'mon! Even if I was a govt civilian, I wouldn't be able to push the change that needs to happen in that organization, and I ESPECIALLY can't do it as a contractor!

Ok, more later, I'm off the walk the doggy, good night! XOXO :) SMF

President Obama

Well finally! I actually thought there'd be a woman in the White House before a black guy, but I couldn't be happier that it's the Obamas. I have yet to form much of a political opinion of him, this election has been, for me, more about race relations than anything else, and I'm tickled pink that we now have black President! I'm glad there's little girls running around the White House. I think Barack & Michelle are a fine marital example. Now we'll see how he does at the job... I'm hopeful.

An Epiphany

I went to sleep hungry last night (ignoring my munchies), and struggled to get to sleep. As my mind wandered, I had an epiphany! I'm a damn Process Improvement professional - and I need to apply my work skills to my personal life! I know how to optimize things, my life should not run as haphazardly as it does. I'll start w/a bona fide "Executive Planning Session" (EPS), from which other efforts will follow, like probably a real 5yr/10yr Plan, with goals and objectives, and hopefully even household process improvements, like schedules and rules and such, that can help our day-to-day goings on. Define. Measure. Analyze. Improve. Control. I'm going to DMAIC my life. Wish me luck.

After my epiphany, I got up at 2am and had a bowl of Honey Smacks, played again, then went back to bed and slept soundly until two snoozes after the alarm first went off. Phoebe had gone to bed early as promised, Christopher had slept through the night, so my day got off to a reasonable start. I even managed to get Phoebe onto the bus, which came early, despite having gotten her off to a 25min late start. I am Mom, hear me roar.

I Still ❤️ VII Corps

My beef was always only with racist individuals and spineless enablers. I never held a grudge against the Army or VII Corps. In 2009 I established and still administer the now 1.6K member U.S. Army VII Corps Facebook Group.

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