Journey & Adventure

I wish I could be positive about today, but the poo emoji sums up my day nicely. I hope everyone else has had a great day.

I’m not even going to get into how terrible of a blogger I am. In fact, I’m really not a blogger at all. I’m more of a “write something when I feel like it” kind of person or in other words, I’m lazy … sloth-like lazy. So, what’s new with everyone out there? Nothing new on my end. I’m still at the same job I don’t necessarily love, but I don’t loathe it either, so I accept it for what it is - a means to an end. I’m still grinding on my 5-7 year plan, which by the way, never really moves in years. It was 5-7 years five or seven years ago and it will probably be the same next year. It’s still a plan and I’m moving at a turtle’s pace towards it, but I’m still moving forward so, that’s my positive thought for the day. J and I are still running our side businesses (yes, businesses). I call them, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. They too are moving along, but certainly aren’t the million dollar overnight success businesses one could hope for. We seem to spend a lot of time evol...

In January, we hired a new lawyer, which allowed me to transition out of contracts and into other things, including a “special project”.   I’ve been actually working on this “special project” since August of last year, so until January, I was essentially doing the job of two people.    That was until a couple of weeks ago.   The President of our company and the gentlemen I happened to be working on the project for, suffered a stroke.   The results of the MRI showed, the stroke was actually caused from a brain tumor.   The prognosis is not favorable. I am devastated and I can’t even imagine how his family is feeling.   This gentlemen is in his early 80’s but has the brains and stamina of someone in his 30’s.   He was completely hands-on with his company, beyond successful and cares greatly for his employees – an unusual combination.    I am told by the management team that stepped in – that the “special project” will proceed on the pla...

June is upon us, but the weather is still cooler than normal.   Maybe global warming does have something to do with it, or maybe it’s just because I live in Canada and Mother Nature hates me. I’m still faithfully plugging away at my jewelry making, shows and online sales, but I have to say I’m getting slightly tired of it.   Lately, I’ve experienced a few shows that have left me wondering why I bother.     I’m not planning on giving it up any time soon, but I think I need to re-evaluate what makes me happy to make and not just make what people will buy.   Because in all honesty, people are picky and you can’t please them all.   I’d rather please myself. Let’s talk about food.   Do you ever get in a food rut and get tired of making and eating the same thing every week?   I’m in a food rut right now.   I like to try new recipes, but my family can be “selective”.   I can typically please either The Boy or J, but not usually both tog...

Where has the time gone?   And by time, I mean Summer.   The temperatures have been above normal for October, so that’s not the problem.   The problem is the lack of sunshine and copious amounts of rain.   It’s dark when I wake up and close to dark by the time I get home.   In a few weeks IT WILL be dark by the time I get home and soon, I’ll need to have the snow tires put on my car.   After that, everything goes downhill until April... I’m experiencing a great deal of “funk” these days – especially as it relates to work.   I’ve got the “seven year itch”, but it’s only been 4 years.   Believe me, 4 years is like an eternity for me right now.   My job duties are in flux at the moment.   I’ve taken on extra/new duties, with the promise of a new hire to take some of my old duties away and as it just so happens, that new hire is still weeks off.     I’ve become so disgusted by this place, that I’ve given up caring about anything ...

Do you every feel you can’t move forward because your feet seem to have been cemented in place?   Well lately, I feel like most every day. Work is the biggest culprit – there have been lots of changes, lots of changes to come and until those changes are finalized, my job duties are like a revolving door – constantly changing with the winds.  Don’t get me wrong I like change, but I also would like to have a sense of where I’m going to be long term and by long term, I mean for at least for the next few years.  We are short-staffed and I’ve been called upon to take on more duties until a replacement can be found.  How can they find a replacement when they aren’t even looking?  It’s been almost 6 months with no end in sight.   I’m not one to shy away from a challenge or hard work, but I also don’t like being treated like the “fix-it” girl – especially when it won’t be recognized in any way shape or form by the “powers that be”.   By the time...

I’m so happy it’s Friday.   I’ve been working “summer hours” for the past few weeks and it’s great – work an extra hour each day and then leave at noon on Fridays.   If only we could do that year round. Our friends booked their “one-way” flights to Panama this week.   Yes, they are retiring early!   I’m sooo excited for them – a little jealous too, but mostly excited.   I know our time will come – “patience grasshopper”. We haven’t been to the beach in a couple of weeks now – mostly thanks to bad weather and prior engagements.   I can honestly say that without those weekly excursions, my “life-balance” isn’t what is should be.   I’m not at all at peace with the world at the moment. Our annual reviews are upon us here at work and let me say, what a @#%$ waste of time.   Our raises have been predetermined months ago and no matter how stellar my performance has been, I do not have the ability to earn over and above the predete...

I’m having a tough time with this blogging gig lately. I don’t have anything to say – surprising even for myself! I feel so many people have lost interest in it as well or perhaps is the Summer weather keeping everyone active and away from their computers. That’s a nice thought, but I’m thinking the fad might be winding down. I’m not giving up on it just yet, but only time will tell. Yesterday was a holiday here in Canada – Canada Day. Seems pointless to have a Tuesday off. By law the holiday could have been “moved” to the Monday. That would have made perfect sense to have a long weekend in the middle of summer, but alas NO – common sense does not prevail in matters such as these. So now today, feels like Monday all over again. Aghhh! Work continues to be a “means to an end”. I don’t love it, I don’t hate it (most days) – it just happens, I get paid, repeat. It’s progress review time here at the moment. I hate them – they are a waste of time and I suck at trying to ma...

That’s what I feel like I’ve been doing lately – slacking, procrastinating, stalling or diddlefarting – the act of doing very little, while appearing to be very busy.  Diddlefarting is an art form and I’m proud to say that I have mastered it through many years of practice. In my previous jobs, I had plenty of time on my hands, so I became creative with how to pass time while maintaining the sense of having an extreme workload.  If you want, you can read about the finer details here .  *Disclaimer:  Results may vary.  Use at your own risk. Now, I’m very busy (for real), but with that said, I’m feeling burnt out this week and with that comes lack of motivation to work on the mundane task of this job.  So, for the time being, I’ve brought out the binders and sticky notes and it’s time to practice a little diddlefarting. Tell me, do you diddlefart?

I don’t know what has gotten into me today, but I am exhausted – mentally and physically. The simple thought of walking to my car tonight after work is exhausting me. I’m thinking it’s the weather as it’s been grey, dreary and raining for a few days now. Yesterday was our first warm day / night of the year. It is so nice to have the windows open at night and listen to the sounds of the frogs croaking and rain coming down. It’s not so nice once stupid dogs start to incessantly bark somewhere in the distance. If I could only figure out where… The pace at work continues at a rapid speed. I guess it’s a good thing because my days flash by like lightning. It would be nice to actually know what day of the week it is though. My sister-in-law is coming home for a visit from Ireland this week. J and I will head to Toronto to pick her up from the airport on Saturday. It will be nice to see her, but alas – I’ll have to forgo my nap that day. *sigh* On the upside, it’s ...

For years, I’ve struggled with happiness in my career.   I’m easily bored, need to be challenged and most important of all, don’t like to be micro-managed.   Well, I’m 3 years into my current position and am still unhappy with my choice in careers.   It’s my problem and I’m dealing with it, BUT knowing it’s only short-term (3-5 years) definitely helps.     That being said, I’ve come up with a plan of sorts – something that should keep me engaged, reduce my exposure to unpleasant people, allow me to be slightly creative and the best part – my report structure should change.   AND, there is a need for this position within the organization – they just don’t know it yet!   Here is where by diabolical scheming comes in.   I need to figure out a way to – make them aware of the need for this position, convince them I’m the right person for the position, convince my boss he’s not the reason I’m want out of our department, so he’ll give the ne...

For those that have been following this blog for awhile, you know that I have a terrible history for staying at one job for a long period of time. Other than my favorite boss, whom I stayed with for 12 years and where I’d still be if it wasn’t for a non-solicitation clause in his employment agreement that kicked in after a corporate take-over, I’ve never lasted in a job position for more than 3 years. Yep, since 2000, I’ve worked for 6 different employers. I have varying reasons for why I left and moved on – everything from earning more money, needing more challenges, stupid co-workers, unbearable bosses, to extreme boredom and no work. The list goes on. I’m hopeless in the sense that I can’t seem to find my career groove. I’ll toot my own horn and say that I’m really good at what I do, but tend to get bored, easily if not engaged. I liked to be challenged, but not micro-managed. I like the freedom to make decisions on my own, but also like knowing that if I need guidance o...

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed here are my own and are based solely on my life experiences. I will say that I’ve worked with some fantastic women, but recently my bad experiences have outweighed the good. Can I just say how much I dislike working with women? Yes, I realize I am one; however I’m more of a “tom boy” type of gal. For the most part, I have great working relationships with my male co-workers. The women – not so much. They are an entirely different story. Don’t get me wrong, I can tolerate them, I just don’t enjoy interacting with them. My male co-workers for the most part, are minimalistic. You ladies out there might disagree but I find that they don’t need as much babysitting. I can ask them to provide me with information and they don’t whine about it. Guys get shit done. My female co-workers will do EVERYTHING in their power to avoid taking responsibility for anything. They will not simply respond to an e-mail request. Nooo, they insist of calling to “discuss ...

Well, it’s been almost 3 weeks since the beginning of my poison ivy, oak or sumac outbreak and the itching is finally starting to subside. I only have a few remaining itchy spots – mostly on my neck and hairline. That was without a doubt, the worst experience of my life.  It certainly was not painful, but extremely exhausting both mentally and physically. I honestly thought I was going to lose my mind (more so than usual).   Approximately 1 month ago J and his employers came to a mutual decision to “part ways”. I guess that’s a nice way of saying he is now unemployed. Believe me – we are both extremely happy with this decision. I’m happy because I have a built-in maid, cook and contractor. J’s happy because he is no longer working for morons (unless I count of course). The house to-do list is dwindling and we have come to the realization that if it weren’t for him being able to work away on all the projects now, we would never be ready to sell the house and vacate the...

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a one-day seminar in Washington, DC.  Unfortunately I had only planned for a half day of touring, but by the time I arrived, after flight cancellations and other delays, my half day turned into a couple of hours - in the rain.  Oh well, I made the best of it and powered on.  My hotel was within a 5 minute walk to the White House, so that was my first stop. J came along for the trip and spent the following day touring around while I was attending the seminar.  Maybe he'll share some of his photos with me so I can share with you. The highlight of my trip (besides all of the sailors at the Naval Memorial) - I saw the Presidential Motorcade -sirens, secret service men, dark glasses, black SUVs and all.  Very exciting! One day certainly is not enough time to see everything DC has to offer.  J and I can hardly wait to go back. Back Lawn of the White House Secret Service Squirrel ...

I’m constantly perplexed at how I could have possibly made so many bad career choices over the years that I am now once again sitting at the crossroads of disconbobulation and quagmiredness. Yeah, I don’t know what it means either, but it pretty much sums up how my job has been making me feel for at least the last six months. Oh well, life goes on and I’ll manage to get through this. It helps knowing that it’s only a means to an end… Perplexed Definition: (i) filled with uncertainty; (ii) full of difficulty; Disconbobulated Definition: when something odd happens and you get an indescribable confused feeling. Quagmire Definition: (i) soft miry land that shakes or yields under the foot; or (ii) a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position;

There’s an old saying “Know what you don’t know”. There’s also a saying “know when to keep your mouth shut”. Today, I’m surrounded by people that have obviously never heard these sayings. Everyone is offering up their opinion on how things should be handled. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times “if I were you…” I’m all for taking advice when I ask for it and I’ll even accept it when I need it and haven’t asked for it. I’m not one for unsolicited opinions on topics that these so-called “experts” know nothing about. There is nothing wrong with simply smiling and walking away – it makes you look intelligent and keeps people guessing what your next move will be. “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” – Mark Twain

I have found the absolute perfect solution to many of my work woes.  Incentive travel.  Yes, instead of a monetary bonus, companies actually provide their employees with travel rewards. Incentive travel programs allow employees to work towards a tangible reward. Also, a program such as this offers the possibility to satisfy each human being’s inherit desire to see and travel the world. As an innovative way to motivate employees, the positive impact an incentive travel program within a company can bring is worth looking into. The following three steps will help you in launching an incentive program which can potentially show an increase in business, employee retention, and office place morale. I intend on putting this little tidbit into the "Suggestion Box"...

I don’t usually hate Mondays, but I do today. I would prefer to come to work and do my job without drama – especially on Mondays. Alas, it’s not meant to be. Instead, I get to deal with internal sales people. Let’s just say, sales people and the legal department cannot possibly live cohesively. I’ve tried and failed - miserably. All I want to do is do my job.  My job is to point out legal risks and all the sales people want to do is sell product and they could not give a rat’s-ass about legal risks. They want to make their commission. Honestly, they’d prefer if I was not allowed in the building – it would make their job easier. Believe me, I’d prefer if I was not allowed in the building – it would keep my blood pressure lower than it is at the moment. The worst part is - they are cowards. If they have a problem, it would be so much easier to call us and talk about it, but instead they play stupid games and call meetings to discuss the legal department behind...

If you are a regular reader, you know the story…I’m restless in my career. Apart from working with the best boss in the world for almost 10 years, I’ve never stayed in one place for very long. The longest stint within the last decade has been 3 years. In case you’re wondering, I’ve held 6 jobs within the last 10 years, including the current one. My restlessness is beginning to surface again. We are currently at the 1.5 year mark. Eeek, I have a problem. What is my problem exactly? Good question. I have many issues, BUT the biggest factor in my restlessness is the “need to make a difference”. I don’t need to save the world, I don’t need public tributes, accolades or recognition of any kind, but I need to personally know that my contributions are doing something for the organization. If I can’t take something that’s in disrepair and make it better or improve upon a process, I don’t see the need to continue. If I can’t do my job well, I don’t see the need to do it at all....