Responsibilities

So, I'm convinced that having a lot of responsibilities is overrated. To me, having to ensure sales and revenue is not something I want to be held accountable for. After sitting in several meetings, listening to others ruminate about making sales goals and meeting the magical Q4 number, I realized that I don't want that to ever be my problem. Yes, I'm held accountable for the projects that I manage, and yes, I know that's a form of responsibility, but making sales numbers, not my problem.

On top of that, those that do have those responsibilities, spend half their lives in meetings. The other half is spent trying to carry out the so-called "marching orders". Seems a little too military-ish if you ask me. "Carry out these orders, or you're toast." Too much. Let's just say that I wasn't ever cut out to be in high-pressure sales, or any type of sales, really. I know that the industry that I work in has a very different sales model, not based on pressuring someone to do something, but still. For me, the whole idea of "sales" is icky. Because what do you do if you don't make your number? In British vernacular - you become redundant.

Don't get me wrong, I'm handling my added responsibilities on the media front. I've had to do a ton of clean up after the boat load of "legacy" projects were left to wade through. I think I'm finally finding my bearings. I'm bound and determined to rock this job. There's just so many office politics that I'd rather not get mixed up in the mess. I guess that I feel that I know my place and role, which I cannot definitively say the same for some others around here. Alas, that's the way the corporate cookie crumbles. I'm hoping that having a new team (although removed on the other side of the country) will shed some new light and breathe some fresh air into my world.

I'm tired of the petty and clueless.

Sick + Allergies = No Fun

I can do math. Simple math, as shown in the title of this post.

Well, it's been a hellish week and a half. I somehow jumped on the bad luck train and caught the flu, battled it, broke my hard drive, and got my butt kicked by my allergies and the crazy wind.

On the flip side, I did get a promotion at work and an office which I have personalized to the max. I held a mini sage ceremony (mostly me waving around sage incense that wafted down the hall) to expel all of the bad chi and juju from the office that was previously inhabited by a weirdo. I believe that it has been sufficiently cleansed and disinfected. I can start fresh.

I still have a raspy voice which I think is a result of a dry cough that started from my allergy attack. I'm hoping that once this week is over, I will be well again. I just want to get back to normal and start working out again (didn't think I'd write that!).

Well then, it's been interesting

Tuesday brought some very exciting news.

My prayers and wishes have been answered. While what has unfolded has left me without a tech project manager, there's really not much of a difference. He didn't do anything anyway. At least he didn't show any progress in learning anything.

Tomorrow I will be checking out wedding reception venues instead of going to work. An excellent alternative to formatting PowerPoint slides! Plus, it should get me closer to finding and booking a venue. I'm looking forward to finding a venue because then I will be able to think about all the other things - colors, dresses, cakes, etc a little more concretely.

So many ideas.

Again, more great things in 2008!

Late in the game?

So I just discovered Google Reader. Oh Google, what will you think of next?!

This is a great way to keep up with the blogs that I read all in one place. And if I was interested, I could see the blog feeds that my friends are reading. Plus, it's awesome because I don't have to open 15 tabs to see what I want to see, or try and remember for that matter. (Right now, I'm working with 3 windows and at least 12 tabs each... a la wedding planning). Then it will link out to the blog when you click on it. Read what you want to read! So I kinda feel like I've been missing out. Have I?

Besides that, I've been steadily building my wedding venue spreadsheet, calculating costs, comparing packages, and trying to schedule appointments to rank the prettiness or ugliness of the venue. Let's keep it real. I'm not looking for a platinum wedding, but I'm not going to slum it either. Even in the Bay Area, there are ways to have a swanky/classy wedding without totally going broke. Cent and I are more up to speed with a realistic budget, and trying really hard to adhere to it.

And I'm thinking that I need to jump on the wedding industry train. Plan other people's weddings or take their photos or whatever. I'd get to work for myself (in theory) and make a sizable income (after establishment). Just a thought.

Not a fan of the fake.

Fake tan, fake boobs, fake smile.

Come on, let's be real.

There are so many products out there enabling one to be fake. I understand that sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures, but seriously, is it worth it? $20,000 plastic surgery. Injecting poison into your face. Lotions that turn your skin orange. Veneers. What about working out? Taking care of your skin? Tanning safely? Braces? I know that these logical fixes don't work for everyone, but how do the former items measure up?

I was watching oh-so-fab Carson Kressley's new show How to Look Good Naked and it featured a woman who was 37 and already had 3 plastic surgeries. She was prepping for her fourth. And she was still dissatisfied with her body. I thought she looked pretty great for her age, but all she could focus on was the negative and what she hated about her body. Even with constant praise from her husband, she zoned in on what could or should be improved. Luckily, Carson was able to improve her sad outlook on life and convince her to remember her positive characteristics, so as not to instill negative body image into the brains of her daughters.

There's a commercial on TV for Restalyne. A woman in the commercial states that she uses it to "fake her age, because her boyfriend/husband thinks she's younger". I thought that to be a horrible sentiment. How are you supposed to build a relationship on lies? Maybe I'm just taking the moral high-ground. Or maybe our society has just become so focused on looks and aging that we convince 30-year-olds that they need botox. Or that it's acceptable to give a 17-year-old breast implants as a birthday present. Talk about tossing yourself out of the running for "Parent of the Year" award.

Needless to say, I'm not a fan of the fake. Fake parts of people or fake people in general. Like today, a woman that I don't directly work with asked me a question in the kitchen today. "So you're an unofficial project manager?" I looked at her quite puzzled, and said, "who me?" She smiled with her very artificial smile and continued her kooky comment. Let it be said that she's NEVER talked to me before. And the only time that I've slightly interacted with her was when I "caught" her cursing down the hallway dropping f-bombs. Yikes.

Why be fake nice? It would just save a bunch of time if we were real. Of course in terms of job security, it may not be a good idea.

Job Satisfaction

Does it exist?

I wonder to myself everyday if there is someone out there who can truly say that they are satisfied with their job. I guess I should qualify the term "satisfaction" with "happiness". Are you happy with your job? Does the pay suit your needs (not wants)? Do you enjoy who you work with? At the end of the day do you feel like you've made a difference? Perhaps those who are self-employed, who called themselves "boss", might qualify. But I really want to know, is there such a thing as job satisfaction?

"They" say that people of my generation are classified as "Generation Y". From Wikipedia: According to the book, Thriving & Surviving with Generation Y at work: , Peter Sheahan , internationally recognised expert on Generation Y, says it is essential that we look at more than traditional forms of monetary compensation to motivate the new talent force."They’re after a sense of purpose, work-life balance, fun, variety, respect, and the opportunity to do ‘real’ work that makes a difference. Arguably everyone wants these things from a job but the difference with Generation Y is they’ll talk with their feet when their needs are not fulfilled." I can see this. I may think like this at times. We're also considered to have the mentality of "looking for the next best thing" if our current job isn't up to par.

I think that I am in one of those lulls between being happy with my current position and wanting something more. More responsibility (maybe), more money (definitely), more respect (of course!) Unfortunately, at this company, room for advancement is on hold at the moment. I enjoy my colleagues and my boss is fantastic, but those things can only keep me for so long. Something is just telling me that "it's time."

So the question is do I take the easy route or the more difficult journey? Stay in the comforts of my cube (although I want an office) or set out to find the next best thing?

I believe...

in The Secret.

As evidenced through this week's trials and errors, I will have only gone to work 3 days this week. This week was my first week back on the job after two weeks of illness and vacation. I'd been out of the office since December 21. It was really nice and refreshing to be off from work, and I had some well-deserved rest. However, when I thought about the prospect of having to return to work, I wasn't exactly ready. I wished I didn't have to go to work. I thought about not having to go to work. I visualized it.

Then I remembered my jury summons clipped to a magnet on the fridge. I also remembered that I had to call in to check if I was to report on Monday morning. Previous times that I have been summoned, I have never had to report. However, this year, in very early 2008, I had to report at 8:30AM to the Superior Courthouse. And thus, my first day back to work never came to be.

I was excused from jury duty service since the courthouse had fulfilled their jury allotments, so I had to go to work on Tuesday. I readied my work bag and laptop for the next day. Tuesday morning I walked out the door forgetting to pick up my laptop bag on the way out. I remembered just as soon as I unlocked my car door. I grabbed the laptop and went to work. As soon as I got to work, I tried to dock the computer, but nothing happened when I tried to turn it on. Dead. I thought that was weird, so I tried to turn it on undocked. Nothing. I made the rounds talking to my coworkers who I had not seen in 2 weeks, and then when the computer still would work for me, I brought it down to the IT guys. After a couple tests, they declared the poor laptop dead. I was left without a computer. I couldn't work the entire morning. Thus, the second day was only half fulfilled.

Wednesday came and went without a problem.

Which brings me to this morning, Thursday, January 10. As I finished my breakfast, I thought to myself, "I don't want to go to work today". I got in my car and headed towards the bridge. It was raining so I turned on my lights and my wipers. When I was on the bridge I noticed that the wipers got noticeably weaker in strength and the radio sounded distorted. As I merged onto 101, my wipers died completely. I knew that I was losing power somehow, but I wasn't sure what was causing it. I was almost at my exit, so I figured if worse came to worse, I could just pull over once off the freeway. Right before the exit ramp, I tried to step on the gas, but there was zero acceleration. I knew that I was definitely not a good sign. I was lucky to be in the right lane, and I was able to pull off to the shoulder before getting stuck in the middle of the freeway on a gray, rainy day.

I went into panic mode, but remained as calm as possible. I called AAA to come tow me. After making the necessary phone calls to all the important people, I waited anxiously for the Tow Truck to show up. When it did, I was towed to the nearest repair shop. I was granted with the bad news that I would have to pay out the nose to the tune of $600. Great. My awesome coworker came to my rescue to take me to the office. Later in the afternoon I called to check if my car was fixed. Why is it that every time there is one thing wrong with a car, there is always something else that is discovered to be a problem? Well, my brakes are allegedly shot. I never experienced any problems in the last few weeks. The auto repair shop gave me an estimate of $790! Too expensive for the sake of my car -- both repairs would cost more than the total amount paid for the car! I drove slowly and cautiously 20 miles to get back home. Paranoid the entire way. But I made it. Later, we took the car to our local "guy" who specializes in European cars. I hope it doesn't cost too much to get the brakes fixed. Otherwise I will start looking for another car.

Since my car is in the shop today, I had to work from home, thus completing my week of not wanting to go into work. Lovely.

So now I need to visualize other things. Like a job for my dad. An increase in salary. A promotion. Healthy eating. Obviously, as evidenced by this week, my visualization skills work. Or, in my mom's words are "spooky".

The Gig

I was looking around on CNN Money for some tips on where to stash some cash that would earn a good return. I contribute to my 401(k) which apparently puts me ahead of the game of a lot of people in my age group. Then I stumbled upon The Gig blog by Nadira Hira on the Fortune Magazine section of CNN Money.

She wrote a so-called field guide to Generation Y titled Attracting the twentysomething worker, part of a series called Gen Y at work. I can't help but agree with a myriad of things she noted. Including the fact that we're multitaskers. Constantly on the move with two, three, four different things going on all at once. What can I say, we were born in an era where we were told that we could be anything that we could imagine. I think we aspire toward that. Whatever the "it" may be. Growing up, I was a habitual multitasker. Watching TV while doing homework. Listening to music while reading. And now, I find myself busy at work, with 6 or 7 tabs in my Firefox window, iTunes humming, and carrying a couple of conversations on Google chat and AIM. All the while, doing my work, and finishing it early. And those who question how I can do it, I question - why can't you?

However, I won't go as far to say that I need to be coddled or have my hand held to get through the real world. I would not want my parents to accompany me to a job interview or first day of work. Now, really, who does that? Where's the independence? That's what college is supposed to get you to simulate at the very least. Sure you can live off the of the dining hall food, and go weeks without doing laundry, but really, one should be able to live on their own, having gone through the university system. Granted, I still live at home, but that's for mere economic purposes. I live in one of the most expensive areas of the country, and trying to rent a place would be a waste of money. Luckily, my parents are awesome and haven't kicked me out just yet. They encourage me to save my money, and one day soon I can put a down payment on a piece of real estate.

Alas, this is the digital age. If you want to keep up with we Gen Y'ers, better get some skills in multitasking activities.