Deep Freeze

Aveos do not like big snow.

My car is likely not moving until spring.

I'm ready to be out two grand if means that I won't get stuck in a parking spot I spent an hour shoveling out after working a mediocre-size facility rental at the Museum.

I do suppose I have to take into consideration all of things I'll postpone with that 2,000 hit. hm...always something to ponder!

Dawn of a New Day

Barack Obama is our president-elect. It is a groundbreaking accomplishment for our country. I feel the excitement and fear, anticipation and relief that is overwhelming so many people at this moment.

Somehow, I feel hope restored that was lost for so long and believe that our country's founding principles will break through the barricades that have hindered them for nearly a decade now.

I am 1 for 3 in presidential elections. This is a great feeling!

Yes We Can! And we did.

On to better days...

Flabbergasted

I am not sure I understand how some people cannot show the slightest degree of decency or respect toward their colleagues, suboridinates or direct reports. Color me suprised? Not at all. I am not impacted by the rude and replusive behaviours often shown by the upper rungs of management and while I know the pressures just as well as the next person, it does not make it an acceptable way to treat others. I also do not understand how a manager can sit there and not stand up for one of her employees as she gets yelled at by another co-worker, regardless of what fancy word is in his title and not in her own.

The purpose of a manager is to lead his/her staff, organize and plan, coach and motivate, discipline and be a steady source of support that the staff can rely on. I do a damn good job at this. I stand up for my employees and become their voice when I know issues are affecting their ability to do their job. I keep their work environment positive and develop a trusting, working relationship with each of them. I create a buffer between the wretched monsters who run the place and keep them motivated to be the best they can be. The 14 people that report to me are the happiest among the entire staff. They appreciate my consistency because they are aware I take the appropriate steps to make change that needs to happen happen. I prove this to them on a daily basis, with not only things on an individual level, but also confirm my committment to them as I keep pushing for issues that impact the bigger picture and more than just our department. I push them harder and try to make that positive bit of difference in their lives. That may be the teacher in me and right now, it just happens to be crossing over to my management style. Working with my staff is the most rewarding aspect of my job at the moment, I dare say, even more than serving the greater good or seeing my visions come to fruition.

With that said, and since it is blatantly obvious that I am the only manager who believes in such a philosophy at my job, I am sometimes taken aback by those who feel it necessary to swear, yell and/or sit in silence while in meetings about a potential logistical nightmare, especially when I am the situational expert. When that happens and I am through with being insulted and feeling the inhumane slap across my face, I kindly excuse myself and go back to work in quiet crevices of the building where few others know.

I may go down by myself but it will not be without my voice being heard by the one who matters most. And with my experience there, it is that very thing that earns you the respect that is so sought after. Compliancy, be damned!

Sadness

Today, after looking in every possible location for them, my sunglasses are officially missing and presumed lost. It makes me sad to think of going through the chore of finding their replacement.

I refuse to get those clown glasses that take up half of your face.

Wish me luck

oh happy day!

hockey has returned...

...so has my fandom, which is a very exciting tidbit of information

gas is a few pennies below $3.00 a gallon

i hit every green light on the way into work this morning

Actions Speak

It is a known fact that some will not vote for Obama because he is African American. Will these people default to John McCain? But where is the justification in voting for a white male who is physically uncomfortable standing in the same space as an African American, let alone representing a nation where minorities are half of the population or speaking and negotiating with foreign leaders who are also of minority races?

Someone please explain the madness.

YES WE CAN!

We are all living in a historic moment. These next few months will be looked back on with the same significance as we view the Civil Rights Movement and other similar socio-political movements today. We are aware of the change our nation will go through and can notice how far we as a people have come. It is an exciting time. On the other hand, it could also become a horrifying reality if our next four years are a continuation of the past eight. If other people are as worried as I am about the current state of our economy and the direction our country is headed, then the choice we get to make is an obvious one. We need to reconnect with the values that drive our country forward, that make us the greatest in the world and allow our allies abroad to trust our judgement and direction again. We have a lot of cleaning up to and bridges to mend, but with Obama, those things will be possible once again.

And I don't know about you, but 10% isn't good enough for me either. Time for a fresh face and intelligent decision-making on Pennsylvania Avenue.

We are on the brink of greatness!
Let's make change happen!
Time to believe.

Our Personalized Holiday

Happy National Lighthouse Day!

Yes! It really does exist!