Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Wee...Stop this Rollercoaster!

So, the last few days has been quite the roller coaster of emotion...from the highs to the lows and everything in between. I am so dog tired from this today, I'm trying to keep my head up, eyes open and from hitting my desk. I'm thinking a lunchtime power nap may be in order.

Saturday was the baby shower of two friends. Normally, I detest all things shower related, but this was one of the best times I've had. It was so much fun to talk and catch up with a group of women who are all in similar places. It's also nice to know that in this crazy life there are people who are my support and can make me laugh...thanks girls! The rest of the day was pretty mellow and included me watching "the red carpet premiere" (Lifetime's words, not mine) of Prayers for Bobby. It was good and thought provoking, but I'm not sure that it was worth me wasting 2 hours of my time.

Sunday morning was an odd one at home...I think we were both in funky moods and it took some time for that to normalize. After running some errands, we decided to go for a walk in Carlsbad. We parked on Carlsbad Village Drive, walked down to the beach and all the way to the Power Plant before heading back. We think it was close to a 3 mile walk. We stopped for a snack before making some other stops. Sunday night at home was spent prepping for Monday and relaxing.

Monday was a VERY long day that began with me leaving at 7:00 for work and return at midnight from the day. The morning started with some drama with an interview panel that was solved pretty quickly. And then, at 11:50 a.m., I had my interview. I felt better prepared for this and had done some good thinking thanks to a director emailing me some feedback and things to think about and prepare for the interview. The interview was our 3 commissioners and the Associate Superintendent. It was a little intimidating to lay out my experience, but the biggest question knocked me for a loop..."Since you work for us, you have a slight advantage and know the situation. Tell us about what needs to be addressed in your department. Please feel free to be candid and know that anything you say in here will be held in the strictest confidence." My first thoughts ranged from "do you have the rest of the day? if I say it, am I sabotaging myself?" I had thought a lot about this issue and figured that it might come up at some point, so I was prepared to answer in a professional manner without emotion. At the end of the interview, I thanked them for their time and mentioned that I hope I wasn't too candid. Their response was that this was the time to be candid. On my way back to my office, I stopped and did a debrief with the director who sent me feedback. Talking to her, I reaffirmed my true feelings about the outcome. Regardless, if it's me or someone else, things are going to change and for the best. By participating in this process, I was able to get myself noticed professionally and there are opportunities for me to grow either in a new position or in my current position.

So, as if that wasn't enough, the boss' retirement party was that afternoon. The Nastys did all the work and never included us in any of the plans. As I saw the party (and how tacky it was), I started feeling emotional. Then, during the presentation of the bell ( a district retirement tradition), our boss made a speech. He called the 4 of us up and proceeded to thank each of us individually in front of those gathered. It was overwhelming and unexpected. At the end of the party, we banded together to get everything cleaned up.

At this point, I wanted to go home and have a drink and relax, but wait, there's more to my day. Monday was the first meeting of the new semester with the new officers for the Chapter. Typically, this is the longest meeting of the semester. I made it to San Marcos just before the 6:00 exec meeting thinking I could grab something to eat there. Wrong! My choices for food was a convenience store full of prepackaged sandwiches (none of which appealed to me) and chips. I chose Munchies snack mix and a Snapple to tide me over. The new exec seems to be so on top of things already. I am hoping for a great year with no drama. After lots of meeting segments, I finally left San Marcos at 11:30 and got home at midnight. I was hungry, but the thought of late night fast food did not appeal to me (who am I?!?). Instead, I snacked on some remnants in the fridge. I think I crawled into bed around 12:30 a.m.

Somehow, I am up and at work this morning. The last few days has been quite the roller coaster of emotion and will continue for the rest of the week. I should hear something regarding a decision within the week. Back to work now...have a good day!

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