Thanks!

I had a really good time last night... thanks, everyone!

Best two words my boss can say to me at work: "I concur."

Good to know I seem to be always headed in the right direction with the difficult cases.

Work Days v. Work Daze

I have two distinct types of work days:

1) Out of office almost constantly attending meetings, delivering presentations, facilitating, and so on...; and

2) Poke-your-eyes-out-with-a-stick, stuck-in-the-office-all-freakin'-day, man-I-wonder-what-I-can-Google-now-instead-of-working.

Now, both have their advantages. Day Type 1 is great for those days when I just want to interact with people, and see something different all the time. For the most part, it is the type of day I prefer.

Unfortunately, Day Type 1 begats an ever-filling inbox, filing pile, and excessive amounts of unanswered email; essentially, a breeding ground for Day Type 2.

Sometimes, however, I luck out. Today was an absolute Day Type 2. Today, though, I was just so in to not having any phone messages, people calling or emailing me, or even really poking their head in my office to ask about anything.

I can't believe how much I accomplished today. I was in early for one ten minute meeting, then off with my coffee to my office. The CBC in the background all day...

Inbox: Empty
File Pile: Gone
Email: What email?

It was great, liberating, fantastic...

Now, if only I could always dictate what my work day would be, instead of my work day dictating how I will be.

Maybe a lesson in flexibility?

Really, maybe just a lesson in cherishing the completion of many small, menial tasks.

-R.

Resolution Review (aka Cheater Repost)

This evening, I learned two things:

1) Reading your entire blogging history in a dark room can make you feel a little dizzy. Especially when one of them was white text on a black background, framed in red (can we say 'pretty yet inefficient'?); and

2) Man, I whine a lot. No, not wine... (though I do that, too...), but whine!

I encourage anyone who may be reading this to go through the history of their online presence. You may find some very interesting things. I have snippets of the history of my marriage, my CF career, and the evolution of some great relationships with some fantastic people -- many who are still a vital part of my existence in this life.

I see how opinions and perspectives have shifted. Values, too.

I found many promises kept, and many broken. Ooops?

Speaking of that last point... seems to me that I've been trying to get a certain group of things accomplished for, well, years. Yet, have failed to do so. Am I a failure? No, I don't think so. In fact, I read back, and wonder to myself -- if I haven't done it, was it really that important to me? Did I really care to do it at all? Does it fit the plan (or lack of plan) I have?

I'm an inherently happy person. There are some things that I do need to finish, and honestly wish to do. There are parts of my life that I wish to strive for either some level of greatness (where I have yet to acheive it), or a higher level of greatness (where I have experience some form of success).

And then, there are those things that either sounded like a good idea at the time, or that maybe I just thought I needed to do to look or feel smarter or better or something -- is the word I'm looking for 'shallow'? 'Selfish'? Just 'something'? -- that I've beat myself up a couple of times on (okay, several times on) that really, I do not see them having a place in my life. So why do I care? Why did I care? And why did I whine about them? Jesus, why am I whining about them right now?!

Let's move on to something more interesting, shall we? If I have a third lesson to learn tonight, it's that I need to focus on what I honestly believe is important for me to pursue.

---

My last post was on New Year's Day. This year has proved to be absolutely fantastic. With Q4 clocking through the station of life in record time (realtivity, you know), let's take a look at how I've done with my resolutions:

1) Get an HR Job
Done! I secured not only an HR position, but the perfect generalist position that also has me invovled in the labour relations side. Luck and skill both played parts here, and there are some people who I shall be enternally grateful to for their support and encouragement. At 27, I am happy to be off the side path and now on the main road for my career. Work has not been this exciting or fun so consistently for a very long time. I feel productive, useful, and skilled.

2) Once have HR Job, complete PLAR @ AU, and get credit towards degree
Okay, so that didn't really happen. But, I did just get the HR job. And my employer may pay for more education (another HR certificate) that would be beneficial for me to complete before doing my PLAR. As well, I need a year in HR work to write my NKE, so that puts it at October 2009. Something else beneficial to have done before the PLAR.

3) Make significant progress towards my B.Admin
On the other side of Para 2 above, I have absolutely not done anything productive to further my education this year. That is one of the things that still needs work. I'm happy with pretty much everything else in my life except this.

4) Read a good (leisure) book at least once a month
Ha! That was a funny one, wasn't it? In typical fashion, I'm a third of the way through about four different books right now. I like them all. I would even like to know how they end. In my cycle of activities, however, I never seem to get to finishing them.

5) Cook more, and learn more about food
Not so bad here. After we moved into the new house, I have come up with some more creative (and edible) meal ideas. We have also been more careful in our food choices, and are eating more whole, natural foods. In turn, we don't feel nearly as guilty when we go to Taco Bell ('Should I get the extra melty cheese? Hells yeah! I have organic turnips at home!').

6) Improve fitness level
Well, it hasn't gotten worse. I've even lost some weight. Or, at least I like to tell myself that. You can tell me that, too!

Most sporting activity has revovled around weekly soccer games. There were a couple of short bike rides. I do go up and down a lot of stairs at work...

7) Fly
The best laid plans of mice and men...

8) ?
There was no 8)! I should have resolved to learn my numbers.

9) Put together an investment plan for my family
The new house was an investment! Our finances are in good order, and we are prepared to weather the current economic storm. More focus, however, will be put on this to the end of Q209 to keep it that way (aka, spend less, save more -- ironically, isn't that what contributes to a lack of consumer confidence?).

10) Stay more organized at home
Moving helps this a lot. This one has been good. I have a filing cabinet that needs some attention, but I can still find what I need, when I want it. House is clean, too.

11) Stay more connected with friends and family; pay more attention to the accomplishments of those close to me and recognize them
I'm thinking depending on which of my friends and family you talk to, you might get varied answers. We went to the Coast this year to visit my dad's side of the family -- aunt, uncle, cousins, grandparents. However, haven't really been in touch with mom's side that we saw last year in Ontario. Business had me on the road, which led to a buzz of activity with some, which subsequentially fell-off shortly after. I'll be honest; I'm a little (a lot?) self-absorbed. Luckily, I do have people to kick me when I have that glazed look of ignorance on my face.

Overall...
I'm quite satisified... we'll see what I can work on before the year is through.

'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore is not an act; but a habit' --Aristotle