11 Months!

Well, Boo turned 11 months old yesterday.  It was a bit of a gray, rainy, cranky evening, so we didn't take dragon pictures yesterday.  Instead, we took them today!  Boo was a happy boy most of the day, except for when it was time to nap in the afternoon.  He didn't really get an afternoon nap, so he crashed really, really early.  That's OK though, when he does that he still usually sleeps through or almost through.  I can live with that.

I just wanted a quick update to show off the pictures from the photo shoot.  No, we didn't go over to the park today.  The ground was too wet from yesterday to take dragon with us.  I would love to get some outside pictures with dragon.  Maybe later this month or for the big One Year photo shoot next month

Uh... did I just type that??

Yes, yes I did.

Don't mind me while I panic about getting some kind of party together (it's just going to be a small thing I hope...) and sit here in shock at the same time wondering where in the world the past year has gone.

Well, I don't have much else to say other than I survived the last day of reporting month.  I also survived my "annual" review.  The whole process takes almost 6 months to complete I think some years.  We have to submit our part of the review process by the end of the year.  Then, it goes to our manager's manager for review and then back to our manager.  We're supposed to have the discussion about it by the end of March.  Obviously that didn't happen (and rarely does).  It went about as well as I expected.  I knew 2008 was an off year for me, even taking into account being pregnant and being out 12 weeks with Boo.  (Which was way more important to me than work at any rate...)  It was a rough year with little managerial support and no real support from the rest of the service group either.  I've definitely decided that I am not management material.  I kick butt when it comes to managing lots of little, short term projects given to me.  I'm a great tech and a great instructor.  I can do well developing a program once someone else has defined it.  I really don't do so well with the rest of the whole management thing.  I don't have the skill set or, more importantly, the mindset to be able to pull it off.  I'd do almost anything to just be back to being just a tech or just a trainer again.  

Oh well, it won't happen.  We don't have the support of the rest of the group in order to pull it off.  This past year is proof of that.  If we'd had the knowledgeable people who were willing to do the training, then this past year wouldn't have been quite so bad.  I've got one other person in the department who is competent enough to do it and who's been very willing, and his contract expires the middle of the month (I hope and pray the higher ups above our business clear him getting hired... we can't afford to loose him.  I've got one other who's somewhat willing and somewhat competent.  That's it out of a department of 8 or 10 people.  That's not enough to have training management fall to someone else and all of us take a hand at it.  (50-60% travel is too much to ask of almost anyone, especially if they have a family!)

Anyhow, I was going to keep this brief and not go off on yet another work related rant.  This weekend looks like it should be a good, if low key one compared to last weekend.  Next weekend will be fun.  We're going to the NJ aquarium for Mother's Day.  They're running a half-price special which means it'll be crowded to no end, but that's OK.  At half price if Boo gets overwhelmed and tired of it all in a short time, I won't feel like we've wasted a lot of money.

I'm off to get some ice cream out of the freezer and enjoy my evening.

Peace to all and may you have good weekends and your kids and loved ones not grow up too fast!