Whiteboard Wisdom

Like I alluded to before, this year’s NaBloPoMo turned into an epic failure, but only from a daily posting standpoint. I’m glad that I have somewhat gotten my rear back in gear and blogging at least occasionally. Perhaps more so this week since it is a vacation week away from work (oh yeah!)

Speaking of work, I thought I would share some “whiteboard wisdom”. Nothing too profound (not even close), but all it entails is just things I post on my office whiteboard as a form of stress relief, catharsis, what have you, whenever I get frustrated at work (which happens a lot). Mostly just brief opinions on how I think things should work (though realistically I know they won’t), and things I want to say at work, but know better.

Here’s a small sampling of what’s been up on my whiteboard lately:

“This is a multitasking-free zone”

“Micro-management? Just say NO!”

“Do you want it ‘right’ or ‘right now’?”

Chow down on that – maybe some more pre-holiday appetizers later.

Working From Home

Was planning on (finally) making an appearance at work this week – other than working from home, I mean. But the train had other ideas. A one-hour delay due to mechanical problems made me decide that my time would be best spent working from home one more day.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I dislike working from home – I prefer it in many ways. But there’s just some things that can done far more productively in-person (I may hate my job with the burning intensity of a thousand white-hot suns, but I still plan on doing a good job while I’m there!)

Let’s see if the train behaves tomorrow…

Sick at Work (or is it Sick From Work?)

I really should be at home resting. I have this really nasty headcold that I thought was on it's way out, but relapsed over the weekend.

I know that all I need is a couple of days of rest, but I don't see how that is possible with all that has to be done. It doesn't help any that the those things I need to get done at work can't be done by logging in from home - oh no, these things require my presence there. So off I go trudging out into the cold, wetness for the train ride to work, doing non-rest there, and then than back home.

My sinuses are clogged, I'm getting a bad cough, my head hurts, and I'm pissed-off to boot.

Busy Busy

The New Digs, originally uploaded by CraftyGuy.

As usual, work's been keeping me really busy lately.

So busy, in fact, that I've had to relinquish some vacation days I had planned between now and the end of the year, in order to be sure that I can get my testing done prior to whenever we end up shipping our next release (even though the release day keeps getting further and further out). I've already logged those upcoming vacation days with Payroll, but that just means that I can take some 'comp time' later.

The release will be over soon enough though, and then onto the next project.

By the way - the photo is of my new office space. What you can't see in the photo is how bare the walls are (other than a calendar, a framed beach scene, and some photos of the kids, that is). I used to have a bunch of assorted posters on the walls in my old office, but I've had those things for a long time (going on 20 years), so it's time for a change. I'm thinking of getting some of my better photography (what of it there is) matted and framed, and hanging some of them up at work.

Packing, Packing

I spent the better part of today packing up the stuff in my office to get moved. Do you know how much junk accumulates in 10+ years?

Too much.

Way too much.

The dumpster was very well fed today.

At least I'll have a clean slate tomorrow in my new office. That is, of course, after I unpack everything that I just packed.

Coming Soon - A New Office

Not much to report on the work front today, other than I will be moving into a new office on Friday. Not far away from where I am right now, just around the corner in the same building.

I've been wanting to have my office moved for quite a while now. From the time Stratus had moved from Marlborough to Maynard, I have had the same office, right on the main aisle. Talk about a continual parade of distractions - everyone seems to think that the aisle is the perfect place to hold meetings - especially right outside my door! Grrrr.

But oh, happy day - I'm being moved from there to what should hopefully be a much quiet area.

In other news - I *finally* posted another pic to my art photography blog page; the last time I posted there was in June (naughty, naughty). I really need to keep up on that better, before people forget it's there...

Choices Made and New Paths?

During a conversation with some friends last week, it came up how much I dislike my job (in this particular context, when I say "dislike", I mean "hate with the burning intensity of a thousand suns"). More than my job, it's actually the whole stinking computer, high-tech industry that I can't stand. I want out in the worst possible way.

I majored in computer science, but could have - or, sometimes I wonder, should have - majored in art/photography, music, or culinary arts. But I opted for what would pay better, instead of what I was really passionate about.

Now here I am, 40 years old in a career I despise, and even with the larger income (compared to if I had taken one of the other paths), I'm often at a loss over how the bills are to be paid. There are some days (not all mind you, but enough for me to take notice) that I feel utterly "trapped".

Before you say "just quit and get a different job", it's not as simple as that. Taking a sizable pay cut to take a more "creative" job elsewhere is simply not acceptable (bills, remember?). And as much as I'd love to go back to school and "start over", who's going to pay for that? I'm still paying off my student loans from the first time around.

What I'd really love to do is to buy a couple of adjoining storefronts and open up a cafe/coffee-shop on one side, and an art gallery on the other - a place where local craftspeople and artists can showcase their work. I want to somehow get good enough with my photography that someone would actually consider buying my work - I'm not into sitting around taking pictures of screaming brats (God bless those with enough patience for that!), but want to get into "fine art" photography.

I did decide today, though, that even if I couldn't go back to school and major in "what I maybe should have in the first place", there are still things that can be done. For instance, today at the library I checked out some books which I will be working on absorbing over the next few weeks. The first of which is "The Ultimate Field Guide to Photography". So far it's a really good, informative read, and I can work on picking up some of the basics that I have woefully been missing. There's no substitute for experience, of course, but this is a start, and the experience will come over time.

So my free time (what of it there is) in the near term will be filled with reading about photography, possibly crocheting one more afghan before the year is out, perhaps making a cheesecake or three, and - not to be forgotten - catching the occasional Patriots' game on TV.

At least someone is annihilating the Bills...

Sick Day

I ended up calling in sick today. Nothing serious, but I was definitely feeling run-down and had a bit of a headache this morning.

The problem with sick days is that I tend to go stir crazy fairly easily... as much as I dislike my job, I can't stand being cooped up doing nothing. Could I have been blogging during the day? Of course, but it's something I can't do unless the "mood" strikes, if that makes any sense to you. Outside of watching the Food Network most of the day (oh yeah!), and logging into work a couple of times to check e-mail (what the heck kind of masochist am I?), it was a froggin' boring day.

It's now almost 11pm and I'm still feeling really tired, but at least the headache's gone. And I will likely be at work tomorrow, probably pissing and moaning about how I'd rather be at home...

Go figure.

Keyed-Up

Keyed Up, originally uploaded by CraftyGuy.

Happy(?) Monday!

Mondays are hard enough as it is, but why do I need to endure three meetings on a Monday, the first of which was at 9am? I'm sorry, I'm not sufficiently caffeinated by then, you'll just have to wait - or you can just hold the meeting at your own peril. Yes I'm already keyed-up today.

But somehow the 4-5pm meeting was the most annoying. Why? Because I have a ride to/from work on Mondays, and I usually need to leave by 4:30. Other days, I have to leave by 4, because I have a life (rather, I want to ensure that Patti and the kids are able to get to whatever evening things that might be scheduled). Fortunately the person I was riding with today had no problems occupying himself for the extra 30 minutes or so while I sat through my little fun-fest.

Oh, and those 4pm meetings won't be happening anymore (or at least shouldn't be). I scheduled in a "dummy" appointment in Outlook from 4-5pm everyday so that any automatic scheduling (that looks for when you're free, and then robs you of that free time slot) will see that I'm "busy".

I wonder if I could get away with blocking out the 9am time slot as well... Probably not. Ah well - just keep the coffee coming...

Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate

Day 177: 2007 05 03, originally uploaded by CraftyGuy.

This quote from Dante pretty much summarizes how I feel about my job. For those unfamiliar with Italian (probably old Italian or Latin actually, given when Dante was around), or with Dante's Inferno, the quote is translated as follows:

Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here

Yes, this is on a sign that I have posted in my area of the computer lab at work - I wonder how long it will take before someone recognizes the quote (or knows Italian or whatever).

Greater Productivity?

Greater Productivity?, originally uploaded by CraftyGuy.

Hah! That's a laugh!

I finally have some things to blog about, and do you think I have time? Oh, noooo!! It totally bytes!

Productive, my butt!!

Nonetheless, I wasn't going to have three Frivolous Fridays go by (the latest of which I will post later today, I promise!) without some relatively "normal" stuff in between, so here this is.

Take that, you time-for-blogging-stealing workload!! Nyaaah!!

Multi-Tasking Sucks!

Day 29: 2006 12 06 - Multi-Homage, originally uploaded by CraftyGuy.

Been waaay too busy lately!

Hasn't it ever occurred to anyone that people were never meant to multi-task? What's up with all this having to do twenty things all at once, and do them all well - and on time?

Do you want it done right or do you want it done right now - ya can't have both!

Gimme a froggin' break, already! Sheesh!

I hate this freaking high-tech industry!

The Last Day of Work for 2006

Glass M&Ms 1, originally uploaded by CraftyGuy.

"Hazah!" and "Booyah!"

Today is the last day of work for 2006, and I'm outta here right after lunch! This camper is most happy.

Between today and tomorrow the rest of the shopping will be wrapped up, and then comes Christmas Eve day and Christmas itself, and then a relatively sane week at home.

I'm hopping to post at least one blog entry of substance between now and New Year's but we'll see how things go.

"Merry Christmas" to you all!