Friday, November 21, 2008
Thankful for....
Posted by nada at 10:26 AM 1 comments
Life's regrets: Few and far between
Hello all, Happy Friday! Seriously, this week couldn't have ended any sooner. Tomorrow DC and I are traveling with the entire family to Hawai'i for a much needed vacation. DC and I haven't been on vacay since our honeymoon so needless to say we have been counting down the days to some R&R and fun in the sun.
I generally try not to look back and reflect on my life with feelings of regret but lately I've made two realizations about what I want to do differently in 2009. First off, I want to make it a point to take a vacation alone each year with DC. I'm not talking about a three day weekend to Napa but taking a few days off to spend together and enjoy alone without the distractions of everyday life. This seems like such an easy and obvious thing to do but it's been alarmingly difficult for the two of us to even plan weekends to Austin for weddings or trips to see friends. My good friend SP says that in her four years of marriage having an alone trip like that to look forward to has been the glue of their relationship and I wish we had done that this year.
My other major life's regret is petty, nothing significant at all but when I bought my car in 2006 it was a total impulse buy and I should have bought the Prius or Civic I originally wanted. Considering I've lived 28 years having 1 major life regret and 1 minor regret isn't bad.
I haven't fully developed my list of changes and resolutions for 2009 but I'm making a mental list of things I want to work on personally and professionally that will hopefully lead to a greater sense of overall happiness. One thing I'm particularly proud of myself for doing in 2008 is working out a lot. I'll admit this has been more of a Q4 thing but experts say you need to do something consistently for a month to make a habit out it and I think I've done that. I'm looking forward to continuing this in to the new year.
Besides planning on taking a vacay alone with DC I'm going to work a little on my temper. Now don't get me wrong 85% of the time I can keep my cool in situations where I'm frustrated, sad or just plain furious but I've lost it a few times this year and found myself in consequently worse situations after the fact. I'm least proud of the fact that I had a few very undiplomatic words with an executive at work about the layoffs last month. While I of course don't regret what I said I should have used a little more tact and diplomacy. Accosting someone in a packed elevator wasn't the best strategy in trying to get my point across.....
I hope you all have a rgeat weekend. I'll try to post from the islands but if I don't here's to a very happy thanksgiving.
Posted by nada at 10:02 AM 0 comments
Monday, November 17, 2008
Marital Bliss in Austin
Posted by nada at 9:36 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Things are looking up
Posted by nada at 2:31 PM 2 comments
Monday, November 3, 2008
An ugly break-up
Long story short - BE did a very aggressive round of layoffs without any warning, explanation, rhyme or reason. I'm not claiming to be any sort of expert on human resources or corporate communications but laying people off on Mondays and Tuesdays seems to be a little strange, especially without a peep from senior management or HR. All week I've been sitting in fear that I'd be like one of the many vice presidents, directors, managers and coordinators who lost their jobs. I watched my friends, colleagues, teammate and most disappointing, my sister walk away from a company they loved and source of income they relied upon.
I'm being very selfish, I know. I'm bitching about what's happened despite the fact that I have a job and am "safe" but since the lay offs ended and the healing began I've been reflecting a lot on the economy, the presidential race and my greater purpose. I woke up feeling duped on Wednesday morning, I felt like a sell-out. I thought BE was different, I thought working for a company that helped women feel beautiful meant we weren't as motivated by the bottom line, yada yada yada. I should have sooner realized that working for a public company means I've already accepted and embraced the values and objectives of capitalism. Don't get me wrong, I believe in capitalism and am doing my best to "stimulate" the economy (I'm buying Christmas presents and lots of goodies on Amazon as I write this) but I stupidly thought I was a part of something different.
Today was the first Monday in months that I woke up and wasn't excited about work. I think I need a good kick in the ass because I have a job but I can't convey how affected I've been by all of this. First off, not seeing MMA's everyday is going to be hard and secondly my job is half as fun as it used to be. I almost wish it had been me. She loved her job so much, it's rare for a 24 year-old to find a dream job so early on in life.
Along with MMA went Paris who was my teammate but more than that the closest friend I've made since living out here.
I told myself that today, Monday would be a new start. It's so much easier said than done. If anything I'm missing Austin and my parents more than I thought I could at this point in my life. I've been remarkably happy the past six months. Between work, being so close to MMA and finding Paris I really felt like I was on my A-game. This week, not so much.
DC has been so supportive and understanding. If anyone gets me and MMA it's him. I'm really grateful he's so in-tune to my relationships with my family. Weeks like this remind me of the power and strength of marriage.
So on to tomorrow when I'm hoping it gets a little easier for everyone. Like Scarlett infamously said, "tomorrow is another day."