New Job

I got the job that I wanted, I start on January 1st (officially).

I am really excited.  I have been pretty much doing this job for the past couple of years in addition to my regular role.  But, now I get to do that full time, and leave the other role behind.  They are backfilling my previous role with 6 people. 

Which is crazy, if I think that I have essentially been doing the job of 7 people for the past 2 years.  It's no wonder I was working such long hours.

I am looking forward to being able to use a different part of my brain, and do more planning strategy as oppose to the reactive execution I have been doing lately. 

Some things just don't translate.

When I came back to revive Song of Happiness, I made myself a promise to try and post every day.  Well, today I was a little lost as to what to write about.  Then I decided just to do what I used to do. To start typing and see where it goes.  Want to take the trip with me.  I figure my brain never stops, I am always thinking of something, so I there must be something in there I can write about.  I probably sound like a crazy person.  No doubt I am to some extent, but no more so than anyone else.

Ah-ha, I think it just came to me. 

This time last year I was in Hong Kong, on a business trip.  I have been working on a project for the last 18 months, where we are implementing a new HR system, globally, in 52 countries.  This time last year a small group of us traveled to Hong Kong and Amsterdam to meet with HR peeps from all 52 countries in 3 weeks.

Our goal was to collect all legal and local HR business requirements.

While in Hong Kong we were in a room with all our Asia Pacific region representatives.  We were going through all the leave types.

We got to Korea.  It seems Korea has a type of leave for sterilization.   Japan, was a little perplexed by this. They looked at each other, spoke amongst themselves then asked the group. "sterilization leave, is that when they close down a factory for a few days as it is cleaned".  It was then one of my co-workers tasks, to explain what this leave is really for.  Somethings just don't translate, verbally, so hand gestures were required.




If only I had photos, but imagine a snip snip gesture, and some pointing.

Japan then then thought that sterilization leave was for men getting sex  changes.  We finally got it resolved.  With many giggles and much awkwardness.  It was a concept that apparently does not exist in Japan.

Monday Musings

Some weeks I love Mondays, other weeks not so much.
So far this Monday has been a little rough.  I came into work with a plan.  It's now 1pm and I haven't done much of what I had planned to do.  It's one of those days where everyone seems to have a question for me.
As soon as I get heads down, someone pops by with a "quick question", they leave then 3 more people come along.  I almost feel like I should start blocking time out on my calendar for visiting hours, or a consult period.
It's nice to feel wanted, but it feels like I spend more time helping other people with their work, than I spend doing my own work.  No wonder my typical work week ends up being about 70 hours.

Oh well.  I look around and have to be thankful that I even have a job.  Many of my friends are unemployed and are finding it really tough to get a job.

Wordless Wednesday - Autumn at work

As I've mentioned in previous posted, I take the Portland light rail to work (a.k.a the MAX). Most of the time it is a fairly uneventful trip, I generally nap, read or knit and zone out for the 20 mins it takes. Normally the other passengers are doing the same thing.

I was riding at a different time one day this week, so it wasn't the usual commuter crowd.

There was a small group, obviously friends, talking about there jobs and what they wanted to do. At least that is how the conversation began. One was talking about working in retail and the upsides and downsides. Another then piped up to say "I'd like to get paid for getting laid" hmmm. Interesting. Now please note, this is a conversation they are having in public, and not quietly either. I honestly was trying not to listen, but I was about as successful in that as a fish surviving in a desert.

They then went on to talk about how many crappy movies and parts he'd have to take part in before he'd actually be able to get laid as a porn star. Then they continued to talk about how nasty the female porn stars are, how it would be like "hot dog in the grand canyon".

I mean seriously, do they not care who was around them listening. I mean there could have been small children in the vincinity...

I mean I know we all have the right to say what we want when we want, but perhaps there should be some kind of volume control. I mean, I didn't really want to hear about all this in the graphic detail they were sharing.

Although, it did give me something to write about.

(I was) Gone (for a while)

I was gone for a few days, and it wasn't just because I couldn't think of anything to post.

The past weekend was Memorial Weekend here in the states, so I was busy having a good time. I ate a lot and drank a lot over the course of the weekend, I actually ate some really good food. Ended up at an English Pub on Sunday (it wasn't quite the same as the Slap and Tickle), and played some darts. I haven't played darts in a long time, and it really showed. We then headed over to the pool hall and played a game of snooker, I wasn't all that great at that either, but I could remember the rules, and was able to guide the lads through the game.

The last couple of days at work I have been in a class called "Team Leader Facilitator Training". It was a great class, and even throughout the long days I stayed focused the whole time, which is really saying something, as I am very easily distracted. Now I am back at my desk, wrapping up my current job before beginning the new one on Monday.

I'm really looking forward to the end of the work day today, as I'm going out for dinner with 2 former colleges. One is my ex-boss, and she is just great, she's one of the nicest people I've ever met, the other is a guy who was a project manager on a project from a few years ago. About 4 years ago, we were all on the same project, and took a business trip to Germany and Barcelona. We had such a great time, eating, drinking and generally being merry and goofing around. I'd tell some of the stories, but I have found from experience, that they just don't seem as funny to anyone else as they do to us. I am sure tonight will be full of reminiscing and lots of laughs.

A Hard Days Night

As you can probably tell from the lack of posts (other than doodle posts) lately, I have not really been around so much. Truth is, I have been working too hard. My normal mantra is “work hard, play harder” but lately its been pretty much just work, work and more work. I have my regular job, and then I have another role that I am doing as a “stretch assignment”, basically an opportunity for me to get some experience in a different area.

On top of that I am kicking off our company ally program part 2, coordinating our company booth for the upcoming Out and Equal Workplace Summit this September. I have a craft fair to attend tomorrow, where I’m going to exhibit some of my items. I recently moved so have spent the past 3 weekends, unpacking, cleaning and shopping. If I am not shopping for shoes, I generally don’t like shopping, so it gets classed as work too. As of this week however I am planning to get my life back on track!

I am really feeling the need to have some fun, as you know from Monday’s post I went out with friends on Friday, and that was fun. Last night it was a friend’s birthday, and we had a surprise birthday party for him. He turned 55, not that you’d believe it, he is still very young at heart. My favourite quote from the night was “oooh, I’m 55, I am slow, I go the same speed as a truck”.

I am not sure what it is at the moment, whether it’s the people I am partying with, or something I am giving off, but I seem to be getting invited to naked hot tub parties, and getting felt up much more than I have done since I graduated from university. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining , just curious as to why all of a sudden.

I get to have some fun again this evening as its Happy Hour day, my favourite day of the week, and I took Friday off work, to celebrate another friend’s birthday with her. Not sure what’s planned yet, but I plan to spend the night dancing my crazy dances at 80’s night.

Moving On (to another cube?)

I had all sorts of ideas for a post yesterday, but was distracted by finding the kitty, and now I can't remember what all the great ideas were. That will teach me to write them down as I think of them, instead of trying to rely on my crappy memory.

I don't really feel like I've done much to write about the past few days. All I've really been doing is working and running errands. There is no rest for the wicked as they say. Not sure who they are, but they do say it.

Yesterday I was in a training class at work, "Achieving High Performance", it was pretty much just about how to set a personal vision, goals and objectives. It also gave advice on how to manage time, network, get mentorship and stuff like that. I already do most of these things, so i'm not sure I got a whole lot out of the session, other than me taking another look at what I want to be 5 years from now. Which I do quite a lot anyway.

I like to plan 5 years out, but I don't really plan my days or weeks. Seems I just like to have an idea on the destination. I don't really care how I get there. I was like that when I was backpacking too. I knew I was going to New Zealand and Australia, but I didn't know what I'd do, or really where I'd go once I was there. I did however, have an amazing time while I was there.

I'm so busy at work today, that I really don't have much of an idea what I am doing, but I have just remembered one of the things I was going to write about.

You may have seen a previous post Song of Happiness: 99 Red Balloons - Or actually 200+ Multicoloured Balloons, about one of my co workers birthdays. Well we had another one last week. It was his birthday on Friday, and he took the day off work.
After some quick discussion regarding what we could do, we decided to clear out his cube and relocate him. It went much better than we could have forseen. We packed up his stuff and moved it to another area, to an empty cube. We then left empty boxes in his "normal" location.
We caused a little havoc, you'll need to scroll to the bottom then work your way up :) ...

From: Michael
I don’t think the hoodlums that moved me there will pay rent so I have retreated to my free cube in the sales neighborhood. I can’t wait for the next person’s birthday!

Mike

From: Ingrid
Happy Birthday, Mike! Boy, do I miss the Sales team!!! Nothing like a great prankJ

From: Gregg

Vicious? No. Vicious would have been our original idea of putting the contents of your cube into beer coolers, and floating them out in the lake...

From: Alan

Mike, thanks for applying for the job. I will notify staffing to setup a panel interview. If you are selected for the position you can stay in the cube. In the mean time we will need to charge rent. Since you are from Texas we will be able to give you a special rate of $1000 a day. Please give $500 to Chuck and $500 to Jim each evening.

Chuck/Jim, please deposit in the OM/DL beer fund.

Look forward to you joining the team.

Alan

From: Michael
I just assumed that I would be a natural pick for the position!?!?

Actually, it appears that I am the victim here… of a vicious birthday prank!

Mike

From: Alan
Hi Mike, seems you have moved into Siva’s old cube. Unfortunately that is an OM/DL cube and will be used for Siva’s replacement. Please can you move out again. We are interviewing now for that position and expect to have it filled by the end of May. If you are looking for a new cube you need to get with Jennifer. She will help find you one.

Thanks

Alan

From: Jennifer

Ok - I didn't move Mike -- HE should be in the cube in the next neighborhood -- next to Tim --

Alan - Would you please talk to him and see what has transpired? and then let me know? Thank you

Jim - Thanks for your help.

From: Jim
On the desk there is a picture of Mike and his wife…

From: Jennifer
Can you confirm who moved in there? If I'm right that cube was ABC11-- at the window - next to Jim --

MY records show it to still be open -- SO if someone has moved in there I wasn't aware of it.

Jim - can you help us here -- did someone move into this cube? Do you know whom? Thank you

From: Alan
Hi Jennifer, Chuck just told me that someone has moved into Siva’s cube. Unfortunately I need that cube for Siva’s replacement.

Thanks

Alan

I want to ride my bicycle

For some reason I've been having a lot of conversations about bicycles today. One of them came up because someone at work offered his bike to me, so I could use it to get from off campus to campus. I declined his offer as his bike was too tall for me.
This created a few puzzled looks from my team. I am hesitant to ride any bike that is too tall for me after 1 too many accidents while I lived in the Netherlands, the first few weren't so bad, and pretty much ended up with me in a ditch with my legs wrapped around the bike.

The final straw was when I borrowed a bike from work, as mine was in the bike shop getting fixed. The bike I used, was one of those which didn't have handbrakes, but instead you peddled backwards to stop. Yeah, with my coordination skills I should have known it would be a bad idea. In addition my feet didn't reach the ground, even with a stretch.

I was cycling into to town to go to the bank I think. I got off campus easily enough, and I was doing great until I approached the road. Then, I realised the only way I was getting across was if I judged it right, and was able to make it without stopping. (It was a bit like that game, frogger). Well I was never very good at frogger either, and misjudged it, and cycled straight into the side of a moving car. The driver wasn't very happy, and was yelling at me, not that I can blame him. He was yelling in Dutch though, so luckily I couldn't really understand what he said. I just replied with "Sorry, Stomer engels" while pointing at myself.

I then got back on the bike, and started cycling again, I then realised the next thing I would have to take on would be a train. I decided one crash was enough for a day, turned around and pushed the bike back to work.

The other instance we were talking about bicycles today, was after a meeting. We have these meetings at work, where the folks from the exciting departments, present to us in the boring departments. Todays presentation was about Action Sports, such as snowboarding, skateboarding, and biking. They showed some great videos of crazy kids doing amazing things, which just look impossible to me. I found this one You Tube that was shown to us today:


(the shot of the guy on the bike falling into the water, that's where I work, I was there when it was filmed. The swimming pool shown is also at my work)

Flipping amazing. A little different from the BMX dares we did as kids, where we'd race each other down hills in the woods, while trying to avoid each other and the trees.

99 Red Balloons - Or actually 200+ Multicoloured Balloons

I finally got a good night sleep last night, there were no raccoons partying outside my bedroom window, and I kept my coffee intake to a minimum yesterday. I also have a feeling that carrying crates of beer from my friends car to the office, along with 26lbs of ice also helped to wear me out.

Every 3rd Thursday of the month, we have a party in my building at work. Each floor takes a turn to host the party. Its funded by employees, and works quite like a pot luck. This was the 3rd one that my floor has hosted, and for some reason, its always me who gets involved in the party planning. Not that I am complaining, I actually quite enjoy party planning.

We seem to have lots of parties at work these days, I think a lot of it stems from the fact that you don't have to drink to work here, but it really does help. As well as having parties, we also like to do fun stuff for peoples birthdays. The most recent was for one of my team mates. He was out of the office on the day of his birthday, so we decided it would be fun to fill his cubicle with balloons.



As you can see, we take our work very seriously indeed.