Status

What you're not seeing on this blog is my complete and total happiness. First of all, I have made a personal decision to not do something that I have done for the last 23 years. I gave it up just prior to the 2011 year starting and have been avoiding the vice. Anyone that knows me has seen me do this vice with them so yes, it's true, I gave up telling awful jokes. Except blonde ones to Susie. Not really but there may be a clue in the liquid if you look closely enough.
In other areas of my life, work is fantastically busy and rewarding. Every day this week, except yesterday, I have been in @ 6 AM. Now that means I get up at 5 AM. I write this not for pity or anything. I went through 6 months where I did not want to get up at 6 AM or ever when I knew where I was going and what I was going to do. My new job (the one I started 5/31) has been a blessing in my life. I am energized by the work I do. I sit by very nice people. I have a very supportive manager who listens to what is said. Today we were talking about the work we (the three of us) need to get done. "I keep hearing you have 'a lot' of work to do, but I can't quantify that. I can't say [to someone else] that there is 'a lot' of work to do because everyone's idea of what 'a lot' is is different." I counted the number of things we have to review. There is a lot - 89. Probably, in all, there are 100 things that must be done because some additional tasks have been identified. All of this was to be done by 8/5 (tomorrow) but despite putting in very long hours (I worked 6-530 today), we have not completed what we set out to complete. Here's the kicker. Instead of being furious with us for not having met a date, our manager is willing to enter negotiations on our behalf and to explain where we are; not with fingerpointing. It's really awesome. On top of that, when it was mentioned that neither I nor one of my co-workers could work a lot this weekend, our manager said, "I know you have been putting in crazy hours and I'm not asking for the weekend." How generous that attitude feels! I was very happy to hear that. And yes, I have been kicking as much a$$ as I can. It feels tremendous to be at work and not just because I'm not an employee of a former employer. It feel tremendous to have my life goals aligning, to have a better financial future, to have all the things that I have always wanted, coming together.
Watched the "The Naked Truth" episode with Megan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_vCu7qkuIo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO0yDEUINng&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwvXTwyHC-A&NR=1