February 27, 2006
And then what
I'm having my nice little breakdown here. Crying a lot. Overwhelmed.
Really overwhelmed. The house looks like an 18-wheeler ran through it, then backed up (beep! beep! beep!) and ran it through again.
Over a week ago, I decided to attack the laundry that never got done. The piles at the bottom of the laundry chute. The stuff that had been sitting ignored (CD was in charge of laundry, I want to say it right here, OK? In charge of getting it clean. Is this noted for the record?). You know, blankets that needed washing. Summer clothes that got sorted out when winter came along. Hell if I know all the reasons.
Elia and I took a box of garbage bags and gathered it all up. We braved the chaos that is the basement and looked under beds and in the back corners of the closets. And we found 16 bags' worth.
I am SO not kidding.
I made CD turn himself around the moment he came home and help ferry me and the 16 bags and the jumbo bottle of Tide to the laundromat. I was in a royal snit. I mean... 16 bags?! I'm talking the big green bags here, not the skinny white ones.
And they got washed, and they got dried, and they got reloaded into the bags and into baskets and all stowed back in the van and then heaved and carried in the dark cold from the driveway into the family room.
Ah, but then what?
Then they had to be pulled out of the bags. And folded. And sorted. And good Lord, ironed. And some needed to be rewashed. And some mended. And some donated.
I have sat on that blasted coach, every day since, doing a little bit at a time.
Yes, it is not done yet.
Stewing, and angry, and blaming CD but not knowing why - other than the obvious that hey, he's a slob and that pisses me off in general.
Spring clean trips to the laundromat happen every year. All comforters, pillows, throw rugs and sundries. Things too big for our machines. A sweep of it all, to rinse away the dust of the long winter.
This year, however, as I try and get it all put away my brain is also doing a spring clean. With nothing to drag my attention away - like crazy managers and insane deadlines - my mind tries to process all the stuff it pushed away for the past half-decade. Just like the 16 bags of laundry.
Suddenly I find myself in these fugue flashes... experiencing the loss, and betrayal, and exhaustion more deeply now than I did back then, in the moment.
And it hurts.
It hurts to strip the rest away. I mean, of course I am still Bear's mother. I am CD's wife. I am my mother's daughter and my friend's friend and former soldier of a Fortune 200 corporation.
But in these days, with no fixed engagements and no meetings demanding attention.... there is mostly just this. And the laundry.
And I .... HATE folding laundry.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
08:02 AM
| Comments (16)
| Add Comment
Post contains 524 words, total size 3 kb.
1
Ahh, the point when there's nothing for your busy mind to focus on other than the simple misery of the daily grind. And here you are doing something (the laundry) but thinking "I should be doing something". I'm betting soon you'll be so happy that you'll wonder why this transition was so hard. In the meantime I recommend you list your personal goals, NOT to be confused with career goals, and tackle one or two of them. For me it was first learn to cook and meal plan. Soon, I hope to tackle learning to sew. I know that all sounds very domestic but it's stuff I truly want to know how to do. Maybe you've always wanted to write a book, or knit, or some other art...you pick. Now's your chance, jump on it!
Posted by: MJH at February 27, 2006 08:57 AM (C7H8W)
2
I would hate laundry (more!) if I had 16 bags of it, too!
This isn't really about the laundry, though, is it? More about what needs work now that you are there, staring it in the face, over the piles of un-done laundry.
Or perhaps I am losing MY mind in MY laundry, too!
Posted by: Tammy at February 27, 2006 10:15 AM (M++hX)
3
Well, it's taken me several months to learn how to not long for another job. I have definately found happiness and peace...but I frequently consume my thoughts with the What If's. Which drives me into hypermode in finding a new job. So every day, I have to pinch myself to stay in the moment. I am safe. We are fine. I will work again someday but before that happens, I will heal. My hope for you is that you will be able to do the same. Hang in there and best wishes.
Posted by: Jill at February 27, 2006 10:18 AM (mPnaW)
4
I hear you. But as I sit in my large law firm-office, I would love to be sitting, instead, in front of a tv, or next to a radio, folding laundry. I am overwhelmed with stress - the kind that, in a cruel twist of fate, paralyzes you and renders you unable to be productive. I've been sitting here thinking, what can I do to relieve the stress? I would love to smoke a carton of Marlboro Lights, but that is a no-no in my
Mommy-world. Tomorrow's 5:30 a.m. gym class seems too far away. Maybe folding laundry - especially those tiny, little items belonging to my children - would do the trick.
Posted by: Monica C. at February 27, 2006 12:03 PM (gkN3L)
5
I do like to fold laundry, as it is one of the few tasks I can still accomplish, so if could, I'd lend you my hands.
I think these brilliant ladies are all correct. You need to find something else to occupy your mind while you're doing the folding, and you need to realize that you are doing something. Each folded item is one less in the bag. 16 bags is gonna take a while....
Posted by: caltechgirl at February 27, 2006 12:55 PM (jOkK0)
6
Well thats good you got all that laundry done! I know words wont make anything better but I feel compelled to say you are truly blessed. Youre married to someone who loves you. YOu have a wonderful child. You dont have to go out fight traffic, fight deadlines ect. You can play with your child, take trips together some women who have to work would do anything to be in your position. You are blessed woman! If it seems like you arent doing enough and miss being out there you could always volunteer somewhere.
Posted by: angela at February 27, 2006 01:51 PM (87M5T)
7
Laundry is evil and it wont go away!
Endless cycle...
Posted by: Steff at February 27, 2006 02:18 PM (Ip3Mw)
8
OMG! Do you have any where to put all that laundry? I did that once and found I couldn't fit it all in my house if it was all simultaneously clean!
As for the other - it's called a period of adjustment and honey, this too shall pass! The only minor anectdote is when the downer gets too intense put on some really stupid disco music and jump around the house. Challenging bear to a dance off can reallt brighten your day!
Goodluck - I continue to be proud of your resilience and your sheer determination! xxxx
Posted by: Flikka at February 27, 2006 05:31 PM (puvdD)
9
P.S. anectdote was supposed to be antitdote. sorry...
Posted by: Flikka at February 27, 2006 05:32 PM (puvdD)
10
Hi! I think I need to let you in on a mommy secret... No one folds laundry. Uh-uh. Most people just leave it in the laundry basket, but I personally create a neat pile on the sofa in my bedroom. Why would you waste time putting something away, when you're probably going to wear it tomorrow? Right?? It actually saves a lot of time when you're getting dressed in the morning.
Also, ironing? Uh-uh. The dry cleaner will do that for a dollar a shirt, which trust me is a bargain at twice the price. Otherwise, Nordstrom sells these wonderful wrinkle-free shirts which are actually wrinkle-free! I haven't ironed anything in the five years that I've been married. I'm sure that was in the vows somewhere...
And, I know it's hard, but try not to rub CD's nose in the 16 loads of laundry. One day in the not too distant future, you might find yourself the cause of a 16-load laundry pile-up, and the only thing worse than doing that much laundry is eating crow while you're doing it.
Posted by: notdonnareed at February 27, 2006 06:27 PM (RFcQ+)
11
You'll find your grove soon, at your own pace. For me it was about 12 weeks. I was just getting good at being home when I had to return to work. Contrary to popular belief, you actually need to be very organize to stay home or you'll lose entire days. And you'll be left sitting there on the couch with a mountain of laundry wondering what you've been doing for 4 days.
You'll figure it out. True you'll be miserable till you get there but once there it's pretty great.
Posted by: Nicole at February 28, 2006 03:18 AM (OGFVm)
12
You are not alone. When I lost my job, it took about six weeks to get my bearings. I felt completely adrift and spent until 10 or noon most mornings in crying jags, and then feeling guilty that I had wasted so much time that could have been productively spent in my job search. Guess what? Those crying jags? Incredibly productive. I got the poison out in that first month and a half and was able to throw my efforts wholeheartedly into the future.
In another two weeks after that I started to find work, and haven't looked back since. As much as I clung to that job, I am WAY better off both professionally and personally because I lost it.
As far as laundry goes....I hear you, sister. I am famous for washing, but not folding, my laundry. I don't know what it is about it but once they are clean I get distracted by other things and just never get around to it...the prospect of 16 bags to sit and fold is unnerving! My best advice there is...one bag at a time, no more than one bag at a time. Good luck.
Posted by: laura at February 28, 2006 04:06 AM (FzMzF)
13
It's not about the laundry..it is about finding new ways to define who you are beyond the role of wife and mother. That will come in time. Journaling/blogging is a good way to sort through it all. I recently shut down a business that was my heart and soul for close to nine years...it defined who I was every waking moment...now I have been blessed with an even better opportunity...an opportunity to come up for air and gain a new/fresh perspective on the person I truly want to be. Good luck - you will be fine.
Posted by: Danielle at February 28, 2006 08:56 AM (Ev5uV)
14
I experienced the same thing when I left my news job for a stress-free work-from-home writing job. I had flashbacks of various crises in the newsroom for months. It'll fade. You'll feel the calm invade your soul. Trust me.
Posted by: Lucinda at March 01, 2006 03:29 PM (OPvIN)
15
I'll do your laundry folding if you do my dishes!
I hate doing dishes... by hand... NO DISHWASHER in this tiny place. Grumble... Grumble...
Posted by: Toni at March 03, 2006 01:30 PM (Dvz3g)
16
I just realized that I got so tired of the laundry basket that's been in front of my dryer... for ever... that I dumped out the whole basket on my bed...
Now what? I really don't want to deal with it!
Heck we've lived without whatever is in there for what... 6 months or so... maybe I should just bag it and... ????
Posted by: Toni at March 03, 2006 01:34 PM (Dvz3g)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 25, 2006
A Measure of Progress
Arizona. CD's company has a hub there. Arizona. A town somewhere between
hot and
damnhot.
Even though it is a longshot on paper, I know better.
It's karma.
See, I believe that everyone has special kinds of karma.
Bad karma - like my friend whose car has been hit over a dozen times.
And good karma.
My mother, for example, has parking karma. If you have her in the car, you can count on a parking space opening up right in front. Seriously.
A friend of mine has cheap ticket karma. He once went to Paris for a weekend in late summer for $150 roundtrip.
Me? I have job karma. Except for one notable year-long period in my life, I have always been able to find work.
When we first moved into this house, and CD was showing signs of the darkness that later decended, I said to him one morning that maybe I should think about a part-time job.
That afternoon, our new neighbor came out as we were in the yard and offered me (practically a stranger) a part-time job at his company.
CD looked at me and rolled his eyes.
CD does not have job karma. He's brilliant and reliable and talented. Once he is hired, he is the kind of guy that gets lots of promotions and employee of the month or whatever.
When we were pregnant, the law firm he worked at held a big surprise baby shower - for him. He was disgustingly beloved there.
Yep, once hired CD is king of the road.
But getting a new job? ugh.
So it is a very reasonable fear I have that in his quest to make enough money to support this family - we will end up in Arizona. Because these people already know CD. They want to keep him and promote him.
Realizing this the other morning, I began to panic. I started thinking up ways to avoid learning to love cacti.
"Look," I said. "I'll go back to work. Mega will take me back. Then we'll move to Minnesota. A reasonable house, in a good school district. Near a lake and a park. And then you'll look for a new job and once you have one, I'll quit again. How does that sound?"
And his expression turned relieved, and he smiled.
And I breathed and smiled back.
And that lasted for about, honestly, 10 minutes.
Then he looked at me and away. "We can't," he said, finally. "We have to go forward, not back."
"But I don't like Arizona," I argued.
"Maybe I will find something new here."
He put his arm around me, and I rested my face against his chest.
And even though I was a little upset? I was also a little proud. Maybe a lot.
It's taking a long time for us to find our feet, but that moment was a measure of progress. Maybe a small one, but in the right direction.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
12:47 PM
| Comments (10)
| Add Comment
Post contains 502 words, total size 3 kb.
1
Congratulations on progress. "Forward" could be in a number of directions; you know already that "back" didn't work.
When you first mentioned desert, I thought Arizona, but hoped it might be someplace not quite so hot/dry. There is much beauty there, but it falls in the "nice to visit, but..." category for me.
Posted by: Kimberly at February 25, 2006 01:47 PM (CXd4V)
2
Forward. Not back. Who knows, AZ might just be a bump in the road, a couple of years there and then back to a place with seasons. Or it might not. But going might bring you blessings you can't imagine right now....
We don't know what's ahead, but we can be open to it and embrace it, and appreciate the gifts that the future brings us.
Good luck!
Posted by: caltechgirl at February 25, 2006 08:06 PM (jOkK0)
3
If the opportunity is there and the move paid for, then consider it an adventure. If you both hate it, then you can always still look to MN. Karma has wierd way of working things out. Good luck
Posted by: Helene at February 26, 2006 01:47 AM (C3gFB)
4
As someone who went from lush and green (New England) to hot and dusty (Los Angeles vicinity) to lush and green again (Wisconsin), I've been reading about your possible cacti move with NO NO NO in my heart. It's hard, very hard, to leave cool green out of your life.
But that said, there are things I do miss about California: mountains, for one. No humidity. Roses in January. Okay, maybe that's it. But there are nice places out there...it just depends where you end up. (And if where you might end up is Phoenix, I hate to say it, but NO NO NO would probably go back to the top of the list.)
Not trying to freak you out...just letting you know I've been there. The desert can be very beautiful, in a different way, and it too will get into your blood...if you're in a place that will let it.
Posted by: Anna at February 26, 2006 02:03 AM (LB2Dh)
5
CD is absolutely right...forward, not back. As much as I heartily agree with "nice place to visit, but" in regards to deserts in general.
Yikes. Life has weird twists and turns, and there is a long history of people going to the desert to find themselves. Something about sparse, wide open spaces with lots of sky. And passing through the desert to find the promised land.
There's something almost biblical about that.
Posted by: laura at February 26, 2006 03:26 AM (FzMzF)
6
Well, it IS a dry heat...
Posted by: Mr. Fabulous at February 26, 2006 10:17 AM (6gWrL)
7
Oh try not to close your mind to the desert -- I grew up in Chicago and remember being aghast when my great-aunt, who lived in Iowa, used to say that "all those trees" on the North Shore made her claustrophobic. After 20 years out west, I now get it. The plane lands at O'Hare, particularly in the summer, and all that green, and all that humidity, and I just start getting short of breath. Give me the clear blue skies, the endless vistas, and yes, even the heat (and I'm a fair-skinned Irish-y girl who grows faint when the thermometer goes over 95). Plus, think of the ethnic diversity, the opportunity for Bear to learn Spanish, the delicioso food, and the gorgeous sunsets ... (and if you hate it, you move again!).
Posted by: Charlotte at February 26, 2006 03:22 PM (F3oXb)
8
Congrats on even being able to think about moving forward and not back. It's progrss. Just pray, God will open any door He wants you to go thru.
Posted by: Melissa at February 26, 2006 05:36 PM (RcXdn)
9
I'm in Tucson... not a native to Arizona, though. It's taken me awhile to get used to the desert (particularly the lack of green), but the sunsets are absolutely incredible. And, it's really nice to have 50-70 degree weather while everyone else is struggling with the cold.
I'm not sure where you're thinking of moving... Phoenix has more to do (and is generally hotter) than Tucson.
Anyway, if you end up near Tucson, feel free to drop me an email for some recommended restaurants, places to visit, etc.
Posted by: Rachael at February 27, 2006 07:41 PM (LVFlU)
10
Eh. Arizona is not so bad. A lot of westerners would take the heat over the winters in the midwest any day. So that's something - no more freaking cold winters! And it is beautiful at times.
And....I *so* get it with the laundry. The actual washing/drying is not so bad. It's the folding sorting putting away business that is boring and time consuming.
Posted by: Krisco at March 01, 2006 04:42 PM (xksTj)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
Squee
Is it wrong that I am so happy about a television show?? That I am so excited about this whole Josh and Donna thing on the West Wing?
Ever since I saw the promo showing them kiss in the next episode, I've been squeeing.
(This, I am told, is the technically correct term for the little exclamation squeal that accompanies my highly dignified tail-wiggling and hand-waving dance of joy.)
Posted by: Elizabeth at
05:34 AM
| Comments (1)
| Add Comment
Post contains 71 words, total size 1 kb.
February 22, 2006
A dive into the land O lakes
Just an update, before I head over to that ugly pile of suitcases and unpack...
We're back from an impromptu trip to Minnesota. Saturday afternoon and CD, Bear and I were talking about how we wanted to do something with the 3-day weekend.
We put together our decision last fall to investgate the Twin Cities as a possible move-to place and our talk over Christmas that this should be the winter we got Bear on ski's for the first time. A little presto-magic-Hilton and shazam!, we were on the road.
No laptops, no internet, and only a couple of our cell phones. It was just us three hanging out and having some much-needed family time.
We went skiing on a local hill (As expected, Bear was outstanding. Already better than most Icelanders. Did I say that out loud? Whoops. Heh.) and swimming in the hotel's pool. We wandered neighborhoods, we ate in local restaurants, and tried to get a feel for the Twin Cities.
Lovely. Really.
Not that we're moving there. Although CD's put in resumes, there hasn't been a job offer in his salary range (even after adjusting for the Chicago-to-Minnesota deflation).
The only prospect right now in the 'It Can Support the Family' categorty is from his current job, which is thinking of offering him a promotion which would be (wait for it....) tied to a relocation to a desert town (EGADS).
I'm talking a hot, more hot, sandy, no-green kind of town.
Where, upon arrival, I would melt.
Yes, of course, his people are my people and if the job takes us to a place where you need to shake out your shoes for scorpions, well ... all righty. It's a new day. It's a new paradigm. So I would (gladly?) pack up the sunscreen and Bear's collection of 10 millions toys and follow the work.
But until then, frolic we did in the land of 10,000 lakes and a heckofalotta snow. With crossed fingers that we could end up someplace like that rather than someplace like the Mojave.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
03:28 PM
| Comments (17)
| Add Comment
Post contains 356 words, total size 2 kb.
1
Welcome home!
Sounds like a wonderful trip. I could use 10,000 lakes and a heckofalotta snow right now, myself.
I hope you don't move to the desert. But, life does bring unexpected twists and turns.
Posted by: laura at February 22, 2006 04:01 PM (FzMzF)
2
Sounds like a great weekend. You've been overdue for some relaxed family time for quite a while now.
Is that desert town a middle-of-the-desert town, or an edge-of-the-desert town? I figure I might be OK in the desert if I could get to mountains/ forest/ water in a few hours.
Posted by: Kimberly at February 22, 2006 04:19 PM (CXd4V)
3
Change is good. Praying for the right answer for you.
Posted by: Melissa at February 22, 2006 05:09 PM (RcXdn)
4
I went to college in St. Paul, and the Twin Cities are wonderful. And I think you'd love it there. But I've also followed my husband's job to a place I never imagined myself living permanently, and it's working.
It's all an adventure.
Posted by: Ruth at February 22, 2006 05:31 PM (ZkZtT)
5
I'll definitely keep my fingers crossed that the best solution makes itself clear. If the middle-of-the-desert town is Vegas by some weird chance though, it's not a bad place to live (surprisingly) - I have family there. And while yeah, it's blisteringly hot...there are mountains nearby to hike and frolic on (and they're cooler, even in August), and there's always Tahoe for skiing!
Sounds like the weekend was fun!
Posted by: beth at February 23, 2006 01:35 AM (BuBkx)
6
Wow--if you loved "the Cities" (as people who live in other parts of the state call it) during one of the colder weekends of this winter, then you'd really like it during the warmer months. I grew up in MN, and while I love it there, I just can't handle the winters.
I hope you find some green ($$) somewhere else so you don't have to move to a no-green town.
Posted by: Sharkey at February 23, 2006 02:52 AM (Fss3Z)
7
I'm glad you three had a fun time together.
As for living in a hot dry sandy place? Yeah. That's me! The summers here are like winter in places where it snows. You stay inside with the AC running. Then when it's fall and winter with "brrrr..." cold going on? We're out here in t-shirts. Like today? It's sunny with a few wispy clouds and a high of 70 degrees. BEE-U-TEE-FULL!
Posted by: Grace at February 23, 2006 03:51 AM (L058b)
8
What a good way to spend the weekend! Sounds like fun. The desert?! Nasty! My SIL lives in the Mohave Valley, and is NOT happy. Of course, she comes from the Yukon, where summer is a long weekend in July. The lack of snow really depresses her. I hope you find a place with an amazing job, and the best weather.
Posted by: Tammy at February 23, 2006 05:31 AM (M++hX)
9
Where'd you eat? Where'd you go? I can't believe you didn't TELL me!
Actually - I can believe it - since who the heck am I anyway.
Suz (Minnesotan - remember!)
Posted by: suz at February 23, 2006 07:23 AM (GhfSh)
10
I'm glad you had a good time hanging out here - wish I had known you were here as I would've had all sorts of good ideas of things for you to do.....
And now, not knowing what exactly the career path that either cd or you are interested in I will tell you that the feelers for a particular company have been out looking for good people to work in the MN area having to do with land and housing and development and project management and if you want to know who they are let me know.
Posted by: cursingmama at February 23, 2006 07:35 AM (PoQfr)
11
Ok, folks, The Mojave desert isn't THAT bad. Sheesh. You'd think it was the end of the world. Elizabeth, dear, email me, and I can give you the skinny on several of the desert communities of lovely Southern California.
Sounds like a fun weekend
Posted by: caltechgirl at February 23, 2006 08:23 AM (/vgMZ)
12
Okay, I just came back from the Mojave where we are clearing out my in laws house (they are deceased). Wheeere in the Mojave? Please let us know because we can give you the lowdown.
Posted by: Robin at February 23, 2006 11:20 AM (4iJ3P)
13
wOOHOO, now that's a whole lotta cold, unhuh. You betcha them mosquito's are also quite sometink up there in Minnesota. Fulla lots of scandanavians tho' what with the Norwegian batchelor farmers, CD will feel right at home. Bear will not like the industrial strength sunscreen in the sandy desert climate. Off for another marquerita before dinner. Making my fortune in Baltimore this week at the Baltimore Fine Crafts show.
love, kisses and hugs to you, CD and the Bear
Posted by: Auntie Marfa at February 23, 2006 11:37 AM (MnxdY)
14
Desert town. EEEEEEEE! I am a trees and hills and green, green grass girl myself, so I totally get ya.
I'm glad you had a nice mini-vacation. You deserved it.
Posted by: lucinda at February 23, 2006 11:45 AM (OPvIN)
15
Hmmm. I lived in Duluth, north of the TC, for 32 years. Now I live in the South, where it's hot but green. There are a lot of days in Northern MN I would have rather shaken scorpions out of my shoes. I don't miss scraping ice off cars or sliding backwards down a steep icy hill with my son in the backseat. Everyplace has its ups and downs.
Posted by: B. at February 24, 2006 12:04 PM (St3p8)
16
Oh, good for you for getting away. Sounds wonderful. (I'd want the twin cities' weather over desert too -- I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.)
Posted by: Kris at February 24, 2006 01:29 PM (FJyHG)
17
Moved back to the "Cities" 12 years ago from the DC area and never regretted it for a moment. Got a cabin on a suburban lake and replaced it with our dream house 3 years ago... Can't beat swimming in your own back yard or skiing on the frozen water in winter. All the while, hubby can commute to Minneapolis and I can work from a home office in my PJs.
Got kids out on downhill skis at age 3 and the local ski hill & snowboard park will entertain them until it's worth taking them to Colorado. 1st grade PE includes snowshoeing! What's not to love?
It's a little bit of paradise, and with global warming, winters are getting easier and easier (hopefully a TEMPORARY silver lining as I don't mean to make light of a serious issue).
There's just something about living in a state bordering a single lake whose water could cover North and South America with 12" of fresh clear water...
I can do East Coast, I can do as far south as North Carolina, I can do Northwest, but I CANNOT do desert. I'd melt too.
Good luck!
-k.
Posted by: popcornKelly at February 28, 2006 04:35 PM (c9xN6)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 17, 2006
A step at a time
I want to thank you for your comments and emails of support. Friday afternoon was probably the most melancholy of my life. And that's saying something for a sentimental fool such as myself.
I don't think I have ever felt more alone in my life. More aimless, superfluous, or insignificant.
When CD came home, it only took one look at me to know that I had let go of my grip on the cliff.
He did what any superhero would do.
He made reservations.
So, Friday night, there we were...walking into our favorite local restaurant, It has wonderful food, eclectic atmosphere, and crayons for kids. Dee joined us there. To celebrate the begining of, well, maybe the end of...?
Anyway, Bear had a hamburger, French fries and milk.
We had bruschetta and cocktails. We had steaks and martinis. We had crème brûlée and port.
We had hangovers.
Saturday morning, CD and I played the "Parent Possum" game. It goes like this - both parents awake at the sound of the child and then see who can pretend to stay asleep longest. Or at least until the other one gives in and gets up.
After a few long moments, I propped up on my elbow and squinted at my husband. One look at his grimace, and I pulled myself from under the covers.
Poor CD.
Despite my advancing age, gender, and general all-around lazy state of health ... he was much worse off than me.
He claims it was the chocolate martini that did him in, but I know it was that I drank the port and he didn't.
I am new to port.
Port rocks.
In fact, I am so enamored of port that I ran out to buy a couple of bottles - a Late Bottled Vintage and a Tawny - the next day. A red wine I can get behind, is all I'm saying. My doctor will be so pleased.
Monday morning, I woke up and got Bear ready for school and then.... went to my office and sat down. My feet took me there before my brain could figure out what was going on.
[Brain]: Uh, feet, dudes, where we going?
[Feet]: Where we always go in the morning. Duh.
[Brain]: That sounds reasonable. Let's stop in the kitchen for some port on the way.
By the time I plopped my fanny in the chair, I was already feeling a panic. I sat and stared at my computer monitor completely at a loss. What was I doing there?
[Brain]: Hey, feet, let's go.
[Feet]: Go? Where? You mean, walk? Walk? Because, seriously, we don't do that anymore. We get you to this brown room and then we have to take a break. Union rules. Read our contract. Really.
[Brain]: You lazy shits! C'mon, c'mon. We need to stretch and move. Explore. New vistas, unknown country. It's the first day of the rest of our lives and all that...
[Feet]: You've got to be kidding us. Look. We get you to the brown room. Then you take over. Year in, year out. Ya dig?
[Brain]: You know, there's a pair of skimpy golden pumps in the back of the closet. The ones with the 4-inch heels-
[Feet]: You wouldn't dare!
[Ass]: Look, you two, can I say something here?
[Brain] & [Feet]: NO!
[Brain]: Feet, don't fail me now. All I'm asking is that we try something new. A step at a time. That's all. A step at a time....
[Feet]: Just one step at a time?
[Brain]: I promise. Cross my synapses and hope to die.
[Feet]: Well, all right then. If you can convince ass to get outta this chair than I can take you there. A step at a time.
[Ass]; As if, you-
[Feet]: Don't MAKE me kick you, because you know I can!
[Brain]: Ladies, ladies. Let's work together here. We got whole new worlds to explore. Ready?
[Feet] & [Ass]: Let's do it...
And that's when I turned off the monitor, and took the first step.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
03:29 AM
| Comments (14)
| Add Comment
Post contains 682 words, total size 4 kb.
1
YAY! I'm so proud of you! And so happy for you.
You also would have loved the Port wine dinner I attended last week. 4 different ones. Fabulous. A lecture, too, on the history of them.
Posted by: RP at February 17, 2006 05:25 AM (LlPKh)
2
We play "Parent Possum" in our house too - but I always seems to loose
Glad to hear you enjoyed your evening out. After last week, you deserved it!!
Posted by: Helene at February 17, 2006 05:52 AM (sqed0)
3
Sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate (except for the hangover part)
Hoping that this week has been a good transition for all of you!
Posted by: caltechgirl at February 17, 2006 06:38 AM (/vgMZ)
4
Port good. Walking, good.
Sounds good so far!
By the way, I'd be happy to take you out for port one of these days soon. In celebration of new vistas, and all!
Posted by: laura at February 17, 2006 03:22 PM (FzMzF)
5
Through trial and error, we no longer do the possum game on the weekends. Saturday mornings the hubs gets up with the kidlings. Sunday mornings are my turn. This way we each get to sleep in.
Posted by: Grace at February 17, 2006 04:24 PM (L058b)
6
Yay! I am also proud of and happy for you.
Your feet/brain/ass convo was hillarious.
As for parent possum...does it count if you're just playing it with the dogs? If so, we do that all the time too.
Posted by: beth at February 18, 2006 01:22 AM (2qc7C)
7
I wish my brain would talk to my ass, thighs, and hips more. Maybe they'd finally listen for once.
“The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.” - Madame Marie du Deffand
Congratulations, dear.
Posted by: ieatcrayonz at February 18, 2006 03:33 AM (T/CTF)
8
Of all the posts I'd think you would write, a conversation between your feet, ass and brain was never one of them! Hee hee.
I hope you're settling in nicely to your new life. One step at a time. Remember that.
Posted by: Lucinda at February 18, 2006 01:58 PM (OPvIN)
9
I'm so proud of you!! This has got to be quite a shock to your system. Just remember, when "Friends" went off the air, not even Jennifer Anniston knew what to do with the sudden free time. And she has people who THINK for her!
I'm not a fan of port, but chocolate martinis are my absolute favourite thing in the whole world. My favourite place here in the boonies has them, and cajun chicken ceasar salad to die for. It has warm fresh green beans in it. Trust me. It's goooooood.
Posted by: Tammy at February 18, 2006 02:07 PM (M++hX)
10
Port is just about the best way I know to end a meal... even better if there's good, dark chocolate to go with it. Yum.
I hope your brain, ass and feet continue to cooperate. Quite a transition you're making, but I know (all of) you can do it.
Posted by: Kimberly at February 19, 2006 08:19 AM (CXd4V)
11
yay.
that's awesome. (mainly thinking about the transition, here, but the discovery of port is its own momentous occasion.)
wishing you joyous support from afar ...
Posted by: alice at February 21, 2006 07:49 AM (DeROi)
12
SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!! Hurray!
I know it will take time to settle in, but this is such a wonderful thing.
Posted by: halloweenlover at February 22, 2006 05:41 AM (cdEd4)
13
That's beautiful. And hilarious.
Good luck with that western sandy town thing.
I live in one (in New Mexico) and used to live in another (in New Mexico.) It ain't so bad. : )
(Unless it's really, really, small, then I complain about other things...but never mind all that...)
Posted by: Krisco at February 22, 2006 03:34 PM (xksTj)
14
That was great! Thanks for sharing. How was your 1st day?
Posted by: Eyes at February 23, 2006 04:46 AM (L67iN)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 10, 2006
The end of now
Sitting at the edge of my chair.
Wondering why I have propelled myself in this way to this point. But it doesn't matter when I am looking in the rear-view mirror at a place where I have spent the last 7 or 8 years of my life.
I pulse with emotion and no reason.
I've taken to heart comments that I have talked too much of work lately, of this decision, of this very moment. Even as I pretend to laugh them off, I wince - just a bit. No one wants to hear, anymore. Ah. OK.
I understand.
My little moment is not much for me to have made all this sound and fury. Not special, or earth-shattering. No. Not much at all.
It is a good thing, for all my Hamlet-esque agonies.
And will lead to more good things, I believe.
And I had power over it. When the roads diverged, it was me who picked this path. There are no victims or losers here. We should be celebrating, I think. I should have thought of that. Planned something, maybe.
Never mind.
It is already this afternoon. Watching as the sky goes steel gray, again. Maybe snow, again. To replace what melted away.
I sit and rub my arms against the chill. Realize that I have already turned off the little radiator.
And I sift through a pile of business cards, crisp and new-smelling. Stroke my finger over the letters of my name and title.
Then, carefully, back in the box.
It is over.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
08:19 AM
| Comments (27)
| Add Comment
Post contains 264 words, total size 1 kb.
1
It is very hard to say goodbye, no matter how wonderful the change may be. I think you're going to be just fine, just as soon as you get your next Bear hug. And maybe a cookie. Cookies and hugs solve lots of things.
Posted by: RP at February 10, 2006 08:47 AM (LlPKh)
2
Saying goodbye is hard. I hope to hear everything--good and bad--as you adjust to your new (and better) life!
Posted by: Angie at February 10, 2006 09:21 AM (PQx1b)
3
I want to hear about these moments. I've moved my day up. One week from right NOW, I will be giving my notice. Three weeks from right NOW, I will be looking around to make sure nothing of mine is still here and gearing up for the good-bye happy hour.
This is A Big Deal(tm) I want to see how you come out of it.
Posted by: bev at February 10, 2006 09:22 AM (Tk9Rx)
4
The emotions must be nearly overwhelming.
IT is over.
But also? It? Is only just beginning.
I feel your heart in this, Elizabeth. And I'm very excited for you and what's to come.
Posted by: Jennifer at February 10, 2006 09:27 AM (jl9h0)
5
You are stepping into a brighter tomorrow. The unpaved road. And that's a glorious thing. Thank you for sharing these moments with us.
Posted by: Cheryl at February 10, 2006 09:29 AM (BFoQ1)
6
Like the song says, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." I know the song isn't about jobs, but still . . . .
In a few weeks, you'll wonder how (and why!) you lived like this for such a long time.
Posted by: Sharkey at February 10, 2006 09:46 AM (ZzGbc)
7
It is hard to leave and walk away, Elizabeth, believe me, I know. You feel a little bit of your soul left behind in your desk, in your PC, with your (good) colleagues/friends... you turn in your corporate badge and then...what?
It was weird for me during a couple of days, and then I started relaxing, I started to enjoy, I realized life is not about meetings, projects, deadlines and looked at my son's bright smile every morning when I tell him that I don't have to rush to be anywehere else -- and then you START to live again.
Here is to a wonderful new start for you, Bear and CD. Cheers!
Posted by: Sol at February 10, 2006 11:07 AM (o6DGV)
8
Congratulations, Elizabeth. It's a different life from here on out...and how exciting and scary that is. Way to go.
Posted by: Anna at February 10, 2006 11:18 AM (LB2Dh)
9
I think it's supposed to be hard, you're going to be fine though (after some adjustment, there'll definitely be adjustment). I imagine Monday morning you're going to wake up and hug Bear and realize that you get the whole day together and maybe it'll start getting easier from there.
Congratulations!
Posted by: beth at February 10, 2006 11:30 AM (2qc7C)
10
You'll do great. I swear that a year from now, you'll look back and wonder why you stayed there so long. Go get 'em, girl!
Posted by: Lucinda at February 10, 2006 02:56 PM (OPvIN)
11
Congratulations....the path has been chosen and the road will lead to wonderful new adventures and successes!!! Be sure to read Frost's "The Road Not Taken" and, if you can find it, listen to Randall Thompson's choral version....a fantastic spirit lifter for those who are torn as to which path to take.
However, every path has it perils and you need to "prepare" in advance both physically and psychologically. I thought I could handle all my issues, but DID NOT listen to the advice I was given and paid dearly. Should you want so "mother;y", "friendly", "sisterly" advice, please email...I will be more than happy to share the secrets of those who shared with me!
Go get 'em girl!!
Posted by: Janeye at February 11, 2006 02:42 AM (699j1)
12
Saying goodbye, even when you've been hoping for the moment for so long, is never as easy as you think it will be. Hang in there, and know that you're making the right decision for yourself, and your family. It's time to be good to yourself!
Posted by: Liv at February 11, 2006 06:13 AM (AbDXn)
13
No one ever said saying goodbye or letting go was easy!
It will take time & you have many supporters in the blog world, as demonstrated above.
Good to hear from you.
I have no idea how hard it must be to bare your soul, as you have done, in a blog publically.
Take care!
Posted by: jody at February 11, 2006 07:49 AM (1DJTO)
14
good words for everyone...i think,
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask oursleves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our prescence automatically liberates others."
--Nelson Mandela--
Posted by: joli perle at February 11, 2006 08:24 AM (1DJTO)
15
The other night, I went through two hours of running through the shredder negative rejection letters, photos of friends who turned out to be morons and of course unwanted advertising mail. I wound up regrouping a photo book or two and at the end of it all I felt more focused on what lies ahead. The Past belongs in the Past. It has nothing to do with your Today and Your Future which I believe will be bright! Best to you!!!
Posted by: MICHAEL MANNING at February 11, 2006 11:11 AM (EOunD)
16
Don't let your job define you. Let you define you.
I'm fine with you letting out all of this emotion about your job. It is, after all, the force behind the title of this blog.
God bless, you. Take care of you.
Posted by: ieatcrayonz at February 11, 2006 02:24 PM (T/CTF)
17
It's always hard. And it's always fine (and great, even) to talk about it here. Congratulations on making it here! Here's hoping that you have some good down time ahead, and that you get enough chances to contemplate the moments as they happen.
Posted by: alice at February 12, 2006 07:55 AM (BCiD+)
18
Congratulations on taking such a huge step. I hope today was a good one.
Posted by: Ruth at February 13, 2006 10:56 AM (ZkZtT)
19
Never never think we don't want to hear. How can I cheer you on if I don't know what needs cheering?
Congratulations on this huge step. From all of us still grappling with the thought that perhaps we too could follow your path if only we were courageous enough, today we salute you, your bravery and your new path in life.
Posted by: Flikka at February 13, 2006 11:05 AM (puvdD)
20
Are you serious?People actually said you wrote about work too much?On,um,your own blog? That they read voluntarily? Really? Wow.
If that is the case, don't let them stop you because, for one, it's your blog, and for two, it's good writing. It's why we read blogs, to live with other people as they have experiences so different from our own. At least, that's why I read.
Posted by: rose at February 13, 2006 11:49 AM (Ffvoi)
21
A new beginning is always good. Good Luck and keep us informed.
Posted by: Chica at February 14, 2006 01:25 AM (LPIk0)
22
Is it official OVER? Are you FREE NOW???
Posted by: Eyes for Lies at February 14, 2006 06:07 AM (L67iN)
23
I've been thinking of you, Elizabeth. I hope things are well.
Posted by: Ruth at February 15, 2006 12:10 PM (ZkZtT)
24
I'm willing to "hear" whatever you have to say, Elizabeth - about work, about Bear, about anything.
I hope your first several days post-Mega have been good.
Posted by: Kimberly at February 15, 2006 01:33 PM (Vc80e)
25
It may be over... Yet the start of something wonderful is just on the horizon for your family
Posted by: angela at February 15, 2006 04:38 PM (y9oWG)
26
To anyone who would try to tell you what to talk about on your blog-tell them where to step off. This is your space. Your heart, your mind, your troubles. Talk about what YOU want. It doens't matter if every post is about work, it's what's on your mind right now, and damn right it should be-there is so much in the background with it all.
This is a rough time for you, and you may find that venting it here is one of the escapes. Maybe you won't.
And about the job defining you-maybe it won't always. These things change, but they take other things to shift the priority for us. Be whoever you need to be and based on whatever you want.
You can do this.
Posted by: Helen at February 15, 2006 11:43 PM (ApFKI)
27
Wow, does this mean what I think it means? Hot damn! You should be celebrating. And don't think you're getting off easy either, because you're going to be tackling the hardest thing you'll ever do. But, yes a big *but* - but the rewards are phenomenal. And happiness might be attainable. And certainly smiles will be smiled, and laughter heard, and good things cooked, and messes made. Life is all those little things in between these *events* that seem to have consumed lots of your brainpower recently. And now all those little things will be filled with meaning and coolness. I'm very happy for you.
Posted by: Philip at February 18, 2006 04:42 AM (vhWf1)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 09, 2006
Goodbye to the Army of the Tan Pants
As anyone knows, an army runs on its stomach - so I am loading up the van with my goodbye offering of lunch and driving downtown to the hive - the data center where most of them have officies.
After a last review of my project, there is a planned corporate announcement for employees of our division. An "All-Hands".
Every few years, Mega likes to lay off massive quantities of people or completely rearrange the organizations. To keep lean, you know. It has nothing to do with long-term profit or loss - Mega actually had a very successful quarter.
So most folks are figuring that this is what is about to happen again. I know one guy who has been laid off and rehired 4 times. I know another who has had the same job for 20 years under 10 different acronyms.
So it goes.
Whatever is said, we'll listen to it together. Gathered around a warm speakerphone with drippy pizza in our hands.
This corporation has some of the finest damn engineers and technicians on the planet. They make the whole planet go round, from cubbies and data center floors. They have been some of the best times I've had at Mega - duct tape solutions in the middle of the night from guys who make MacGyver look like a lightweight. It's been an honor to learn from them, to work from them, and so, for them, I will bring nothing but the best:
Sausage AND pepperoni. And diet Coke.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
02:55 AM
| Comments (4)
| Add Comment
Post contains 267 words, total size 1 kb.
1
::raises diet Coke glass::
Here's to the future and the unknown adventure that lies ahead.
Posted by: ieatcrayonz at February 09, 2006 05:09 AM (FLJz9)
2
Give my regards to the Tan Pants Brigade. I love 'em and I ain't never met 'em.
Posted by: Margi at February 09, 2006 06:59 AM (nwEQH)
Posted by: caltechgirl at February 09, 2006 09:11 AM (/vgMZ)
4
Please no more work stories. Would love to hear about your new life and all the wonders of little Bear. Or how 'bout those Grammys...love your editorials. <: -)
Posted by: jody at February 09, 2006 03:15 PM (1DJTO)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 08, 2006
Bears say the darndest things
This afternoon, in the car:
Me: What do you think we should get Elia for her birthday?
Bear: A hairdryer.
Me: A... what?
Bear: A hair blower thing, you know? A Hair Dry-y-ER. Her old one is broken.
Me: Uh, it is?
Bear: Yes. We could get one at the place where, you know, we got my Transformer last time.
Me: Uh, Target?
Bear: Yes... and one of those coupons, too, so she can pick out something.
Me (Just dumfounded at this point, was it just last week that he thought a rock was a great gift?): You mean a gift certificate?
Bear: YES. That's what I meant. And I will paint her a nice card.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
12:32 PM
| Comments (6)
| Add Comment
Post contains 126 words, total size 1 kb.
1
Sa-weet! Bear can shop for me anytime.
Posted by: Soccamom at February 09, 2006 12:23 PM (CuxC8)
2
OMG - I think I just fell in love!!
Posted by: Flikka at February 09, 2006 12:55 PM (puvdD)
3
Very cute....marketing really works!
Posted by: jody at February 09, 2006 03:16 PM (1DJTO)
Posted by: A.K. at February 10, 2006 02:54 AM (u7kzr)
5
I want Bear to grow up and marry Girl Terror. They will produce lovely red-haired babies, and he will obviously never forget important days, and he will know the best gifts to get her!
Posted by: Tammy at February 10, 2006 06:04 AM (M++hX)
6
What a smart son you have!
Posted by: Lucinda at February 10, 2006 02:53 PM (OPvIN)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
The future is begining, now
I slip in the Coldplay as I slip into traffic. The snow swirls, the tail lights make foggy red halos, the heater tries to kick in.
They call this 'lake effect' snow, but I have never known what that means. It's not special, except that it's slowing us all down. I glance at the clock and sigh.
Can't be late.
When I was growing up, I hated being the last one. The girl leaning against the wall and watching the door. Wandering if I'd been forgotten.
I won't do that to Bear.
I press the gas, flip my blinker, find a little space in another lane. In a split second, I'm down a side street. Weaving like a New York cab in slow motion.
The Scientist plays;
Running in circles
Coming up tails
Heads on a silence apart...
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
I think on all the perks I need to replace, the research I need to do. Cell phone, DSL, home line...
When I was my father's daughter, I loved visiting him at work and playing grown-up at his desk. He'd give me a pen and a pad of legal paper all of my own. Crisp white sheets with faint blue lines, waiting to be filled up.
Questions of science
Science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
The snow grows thick, my wipers slamming back and forth to keep up. I put the van in a lower gear, and sip my coffee at the stop light.
I'm so tired of this. The constant evaluating of my life and these decisions sours me, like a metallic aftertaste. There are others out there, grappling twisting living struggling laughing crying working in their own lives.
Margi has brought home her new son, born premature but growing strong. Sol has walked away from her career, too. She tends to her own boy, while two new hearts grow beneath hers. Helen dreams/seeks/is making a baby while alternating between globetrotting and having knighted people give her awards.
I watch Philip with admiration as he's found ways to fight his constant pain. Pain that won't be treated, won't be cured, and carves into his days. As Kalisah has looked for the silver lining after waking up one day to find herself fired.
There is no time, left, now. To agonize about a decision already made. To paralyze myself with those fears.
Lessons abound. Faith. Strength. Grace. Humor. I push my mind to them. Tentatively, I force myself to let go of the thick bundles of terror and doubt that have gripped me for so long. They slide away, slowly. It hurts.
The future is beginning, now.
Clocks starts, the cascading synth intro echoing.
Come out upon my seas,
Cursed missed opportunities
Am I a part of the cure
Or am I part of the disease, singing
I wipe at the side window, where the defroster doesn't reach. Check the mirrors.
Today CD found a second job. Maybe. Probably. After months of me pacing and shouting and begging him to find something better than he has now.
He'd say "Better paying jobs don't fall from the sky!"
And I'd accuse him of not trying hard enough. Of not wanting to take care of us. Another of my secret fears. And he'd grow silent, impassive.
A few hours later, he'd walked quietly into my office. Stroke my hair as I typed away. Offer to get me a drink.
The sparks of a once-passionate love glowing again. And I'd touch his hand. And we'd pause. The hope lives here, still.
Thinking of it, thinking of the possible second job, thinking of his willingness to work 6 days a week, thinking of those lessons of faith. Think and pushing a few more of those paralyzing bundles off the cliff of my brain. To the place where the names of acquaintances go, where the location of my glasses goes. Gone into a chasm, never to return.
And the gray clouds overhead seem lighter somehow. The roads clearer. The last mile easy. The traffic lights go my way.
I pull up at Bear's school and slide into the carpool lane. My plastic number in my windshield. My claim ticket for his bright blue eyes and pink chubby cheeks. The teachers move quickly through the little cyclones of snow that race up and down the sidewalks.
The kids are ecstatic. As they exit the school in one's and two's and stand on the line waiting to be escorted to cars, they laugh and look up. They nudge each other and throw back their heads in wonder.
My turn, and I unlock the doors with one hand and flip the switch for the automatic door with the other. Whipping off his backpack, Bear climbs in with a grin that could be used as an alternative power source.
"Snow!" he announces. "Enough for snowballs!"
And as he pulls on his seatbelt, and I push the button to close the door against the wind, the clouds actually drift past. The sun bursts through like an explosion, blinding us in reflection against the new snow.
I squint and wipe the tears from my eyes.
"Whoa," Bear says slowly. "That's like the sun coming from heaven."
And I agree. "Beautiful World" starts thrumming from the speakers.
Here we go, here we go
And we live in a beautiful world,
Yeah we do, yeah we do,
We live in a beautiful world...
Oh, all that I know,
There's nothing here to run from,
'Cause everybody here's got somebody to lean on.
Despite the glare, I pull into gear and turn around for the return trip home before the cars behind me start honking. Slowly navigating into the sun.
The future is beginning, now.
Bring it.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
11:21 AM
| Comments (7)
| Add Comment
Post contains 990 words, total size 6 kb.
1
great post.
I hope you and Bear can go sledding.
Posted by: laura at February 08, 2006 02:31 PM (FzMzF)
2
So you can just open and close the back door of your car while still sitting in the driver's seat?
Posted by: paula at February 09, 2006 01:46 AM (FlZPw)
3
I love that Coldplay CD. It was the soundtrack to my life for a while.
Your imagery is stunning. And I wish I had something intelligent to add. Sleep deprivation will suck the brain right out of your head, won't it?
Heh.
Would a hug do, instead?
A virtual one?
{{{{ huggggggggg }}}}
All my love,
Posted by: Margi at February 09, 2006 07:03 AM (nwEQH)
Posted by: ashleigh at February 09, 2006 07:30 AM (iQdJc)
5
I loved this post, I loved that you are ready for anything. I want to tell you great words of wisdom, and I don't have any... only that you are emarking on a great journey and it seems to me you are more than ready.
Happy Snow Day.
Posted by: Sol at February 09, 2006 09:06 AM (lkCCc)
Posted by: Philip at February 09, 2006 01:12 PM (eSkxo)
7
Wow, Elizabeth. This is fantastic piece of writing! Your descriptive language is fantastic. I could hear the wipers, feel the wet snow.
Best wishes on the brightest future!
Posted by: Tammy at February 10, 2006 06:03 AM (M++hX)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 07, 2006
Thank you for making it so much easier to say goodbye
I received a “satisfaction survey” of my project today.
Guess who they sent it to?
My customer?
No.
My other customer?
No.
Guess who.
You know it was over 6 months ago that my customerÂ’s manager (and one over to the left) started his vendetta and asked that I be replaced. At the time, we were painted as junior executives in a squabble, which made me feel one part outraged and one part "yeah, that's how it goes." I put my head down and kept working to my professional best.
And because the guy was outside my chain, I had no contact with him at all. Which was good, in some ways. On the other hand, it meant there was no chance to redeem or grow the relationship.
But THIS was the guy they sent the survey to.
On paper, the project I was managing was strong - the scope was clear, the budget was met, the work was being managed, that status went out each week, the schedule was within parameters, and I escalated appropriately.
And so, he graded most of the “objective criteria” at the minimum acceptable levels.
You know, for months now I have had the pleasure *cough* of hearing back through my comrades that this guy really didn't give a damn about the actual work. Whenever I was mentioned, he would cast whatever the news was in the worst light. Every good thing was diminished as "probably owing to someone else's effort".
He never said anything to me – we haven’t spoken 2 words in… well, since this happened. But his comments went permanently in my file. I was chastised for his low opinion. And for a while, I tried to learn from what was going on.
But when my lawful family leave to tend to Bear was denounced as me being a "poor team player", I realized I was stuck in what we call, in the corporate world, "a train wreck".
My mentors shouted "run" - to make an internal transfer as soon as I could.
But I chose to make this my last stand at Mega. To use it as my wedge to finally move on....
W. Clement Stone said “So many fail because they don't get started; they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin.”
IÂ’ve finally begun. I should be excited.
This shouldnÂ’t bother me, 48 hours before goodbye.
*sigh*
But it does. It does.
Just as I grow weepy (again!) receiving more emails from people about how much they will miss working with me and yada yada yada.
That’s how come I am just a wee bit pissed instead of dismissive that this dumbass just couldn't walk away gracefully. Couldn't say thank you for a job - if not done well enough for him, done. He had to fill in the comments block with the same vitriol he’s been spouting – and for the first time, it is actually sent to me. He called me "high maintenance" and "not well suited to working in a collaborative team environment".
My emotions - all of them - are very close to the surface these days. But once I had 5 seconds to cool down, you know what I thought? Really?
Thank you for making it so much easier to say goodbye
But there my generosity ends.
I have been with Mega for a long time. And I have made many, many mistakes. Made some people angry. And just downright embarrassed myself on some occasions.
But each year, I gained in responsibility. I was graded among the best. I was rewarded financially for my contribution. And I had the mentoring and feedback of professional, honest men and women who have helped me craft my performance and my profession.
So it took no small doing to make me question my career, my corporation, and my own skills. It took a vendetta, which wasted hours of time and misdirected resources. It took a meanness of spirit and a short-sightedness that has, ultimately, robbed my company of a good employee and robbed my project of the full measure of its success.
So.
Dear manager,
Should you ever wander by and wonder if this is about you... yes. Of course it is. And though I leave, I write this from the bottom of my heart...
You are dangerous, you take people's livelihoods and reputations lightly and you put your feelings above the work. You are an example of the worst kind of manager, and you diminish those around you.
And be sure, VERY sure that I sit in the tall grass for you. And it will be my honor, if the opportunity ever arises, to serve you up to karma.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
01:09 PM
| Comments (9)
| Add Comment
Post contains 806 words, total size 4 kb.
1
ahh, Karma. My friend. He'll get his. Jerk.
Posted by: caltechgirl at February 07, 2006 01:41 PM (/vgMZ)
2
This guy is a f_____ broken record. There is no sense, or logic, or dignity in his behavior.
You will come out of this knowing that you did your best and that you are a true professional under the worst conditions. All he has to show for his actions is a huge karma pie that he'll have to swallow at some point.
It won't be a nice tasty pie, either.
Posted by: laura at February 07, 2006 03:05 PM (FzMzF)
3
Mega certainly has lost a bit of its humanity as it looses you as a valuable asset. I still can't believe that a guy like that continues to flourish but I know this kind of thing happens (it did to me too).
Posted by: Grace at February 08, 2006 01:24 AM (L058b)
4
You know, I've thought of doing this many times -- there's a company somewhere on line that will send a "gift" that can't be tracked, to whomever you choose. It's dog poop in a bag. If I find the website (searching on my computer from home), I myself do plan to take full advantage of their services; sounds like that manager could use a little gift.
Posted by: jm at February 08, 2006 02:26 AM (Ianl7)
5
Will you have an exit interview? And I guess the more pertinent questions are: Will it be with the right person? and Will they listen?
Posted by: bev at February 08, 2006 02:39 AM (Tk9Rx)
6
As one who has been there and done that and have had the same issues, here is a piece of advice....All those lovely comments, all those glowing accolades, MAKE SURE THEY END UP IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL FILE!!!! Down the road, someone that you want to work with will ask for your professional file to look over. If only that review is there, no one will have a full picture of your talents and abilities and what the working relationship is like with your collaborators. I had the same situation working with a sexist meglomaniac that totally destroyed the people he worked with. I was the only one out of the five people he worked with in four years that made a stink about his behavior and work issues. Luckily, I was in the process of moving from the area so I was making sure my professional file was intact. Once I saw that he had placed his analysis of my work(which of course was horrible)in there, I made sure that comments from colleagues and parents, community people and administration were all in there...pages upon pages!
You did a fantastic job and it is important that it is reflected in that file. Go ahead, copy them and make sure that they appear in the "official" corporate records!
Good luck....you made the right move. All those lovely people that have appreciated your efforts, get their info in your rolodex baby, you will never know when you can call upon them for assistance or opportunities!
Posted by: janeye at February 08, 2006 02:42 AM (699j1)
7
You know, people like this seem to just keep getting ahead in life and I don't get it. I've had the joy (?) of working with 2 of them. Good for you for getting away and I sincerely hope that when he gets his, you're around to see it.
I also totally agree about seeing what you can to do make sure there is a ton of positive stuff in your file along with his crud.
Posted by: beth at February 08, 2006 04:40 AM (BuBkx)
8
OK, Ok, I had to look it up www.dogdoo.com -
Posted by: jm at February 08, 2006 12:08 PM (FfAvv)
9
Just imagine me cheering in the stands of your life right now. "Yay!!!! WOOOOOO! Go Elizabeth!!"
Posted by: Lucinda at February 10, 2006 02:45 PM (OPvIN)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
Whiplash
Dear World,
I have written, posted, and then deleted 2 3 4 5 6 posts in the last few days. More than a strong indicator of my present level of craziness (If I were a terror level, I would SO be Ernie), I know this is bad, bad, no-good blog manners and I humbly apologize.
Please forgive me.
I read what I write and realize that I am mumbling, ranting, nonsensical (and not in a lyrical James Joyce way). I realize that I wheelie across boundaries, use poor grammar, swipe at the people I love, gaze profoundly at my own navel, wallow and wallow some more in a pity party I am giving myself, and generally act a mallow-headed prat. And I forget to spell-check too.
I am no better in real life. Saturday night I rented "Kingdom of Heaven" and treated myself to Orlando Bloom in leather tights while eating a plate full of fattening pasta.
Sounded like a relaxing plan when I thought it up.
Turns out? Not so much.
I ended up screaming at the screen about the historical innacuracies of the film until my face turned pink. (No! Really! He was married, faithfully, to her STEPMOTHER! And Italian! And LEGITIMATE!).
My only defense is that I have, regrettably, lost my mind.
(And between you and me, I don't think it's coming back anytime soon.)
My only comfort is that I don't think anyone is watching.
*sigh*
Sincerely,
Elizabeth, Corporate Mommy
Posted by: Elizabeth at
04:29 AM
| Comments (9)
| Add Comment
Post contains 246 words, total size 1 kb.
1
Well, I noticed. I just didn't want to say anything. So long as you got our comments.
Posted by: RP at February 07, 2006 05:15 AM (LlPKh)
2
Come on over and I'll share the HUGE plate of fudge I made last night. It has nothing good in it, just fat and sugar, and more sugar. Then we can watch LOST and yell at the people to grow some hair! Lose some weight! Look like you're on a damn island!!!
Posted by: Tammy at February 07, 2006 05:37 AM (M++hX)
3
Me, I yell at my all-time favorite show, CSI (all 3 of 'em.) I mean, if they can get a positive ID of a killer out of the reflection in someone's eyes taken from a stoplight camera - why oh why was my job in printing and prepress so difficult? Where is this software that produces infinite resolution?!
I digress. I'm fortunate that in my own leap into financial ruin...er...career change, that I have studying to do. Which also makes me crazy, but I'm digressing again.
Posted by: bev at February 07, 2006 05:42 AM (Tk9Rx)
4
The thing with posting and then deleting is sometimes people who use news readers still see them, and feel your pain. Hope that once the transition is made your life will be much simpler and much happier.
Hope the cupcakes turned out well.
Posted by: cursingmama at February 07, 2006 06:34 AM (PoQfr)
5
Hey Elizabeth. No words of wisdom here, just a pat on the shoulder. I hope it gets better soon. And don't feel bad about screaming at the tv, sounds like you were justified.
Posted by: Kris at February 07, 2006 07:24 AM (Za+sD)
6
Am a reader feeder addict. Some of us are watching. The good news? Most of us have been there, too.
Hang in, Elizabeth. Spring - and all the rebirth it implies - is just 'round the corner.
Posted by: Jennifer at February 07, 2006 07:41 AM (jl9h0)
7
Sounds like you need a different Orly Bloom movie. Pirates of the Caribbean? any of the Lord of the Rings?
And chocolate is much more comforting than pasta
Hugs!
Posted by: caltechgirl at February 07, 2006 08:22 AM (/vgMZ)
8
I have no words of widsom at all. I am completely in the dark when it comes to the posts you've written and deleted too as I don't have time to get online much these days and when I do by the time I get all of the blogs I want to read opened my husband has taken the laptop and turned it off.
I just wanted to let you know that I'm here and that your last post on one of my entries made me cry and I've been a total ass for not responding yet. I can blame the baby but really it's sleep deprivation. I feel the same way as you do as far as how posts come out. When I read them it all looks like crap and I comtemplate just not renewing my domain name when it comes up for renewal.
Sorry I've gone off on a tangent on your blog. Talk about bad blog manners!
*hug*
Posted by: Michele at February 07, 2006 10:59 AM (iTYOZ)
9
Hugs.
Yes, spring is around the corner.
Posted by: laura at February 07, 2006 02:56 PM (FzMzF)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 06, 2006
It's hard to chew when you're biting your tongue
Well, if anyone ever asked my opinion of the Brad/Angelina/Jen situation (which no one did!) based on what little I know (as if I'd ever met this people... riiiight)....
I think that if you commit to someone that they are your only someone, then having a box full of possible replacements or cultivating anyone new to swap out your current partner on the blow of a whistle is wrong.
There, I've said it.
Before lightning strikes, I will admit to the world here and now - I know this tactic because I was once (back in the stone ages) guilty of a form of it. I thought I was happy in a long-distance relationship until I met someone new....
It goes like this: you're in a monogamous relationship, but you meet someone new that you want to be with. So you start a relationship that technically (yes, I mean S-E-X) isn't cheating - but what, as Jennifer Aniston once surmised of Brad, could be called an "emotional affiar".
Of course, your unaware spouse/partner starts to look worse and worse as the new person looks better and more desirable. So one day, out of what will feel like nowhere to the innocent party, you say "look, this isn't working for me anymore. I need my space..."
And just like that - Wham! - 2 hours later you're making hot monkey love over and over with object of your new affections at the Ritz Carlton while your spouse/partner calls up everyone they know in tears, crying "I don't understand....what went wrong?"
And maybe you say, technically - it's all right.
But having been on both sides of this, I say - it's cheating.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
03:18 PM
| No Comments
| Add Comment
Post contains 299 words, total size 2 kb.
February 02, 2006
Paint the Sun
Me to Bear this morning:
I'm really tired of gray skies, buddy. Wouldn't it be nice if we got some sun?
Bear to me: Well, Mommy. How about when I get home we'll paint the sun on a BIG piece of paper from the craft store and you can tape it on the window?
Me: Wow, that's a great idea, Bear. The only thing is that pictures don't glow and feel warm...
Bear: No, but we can put all the lights on and then you can hug me and we'll make cupcakes.
Posted by: Elizabeth at
05:35 AM
| Comments (15)
| Add Comment
Post contains 98 words, total size 1 kb.
1
Aw. That's too sweet for words. Who needs sunshine when you've got Bear?
Posted by: beth at February 02, 2006 06:17 AM (BuBkx)
2
Awww...he's your sunshine
Posted by: Angela Giles Klocke at February 02, 2006 06:18 AM (vWP++)
3
What a smart kiddo you have Elizabeth! And a sensitive one too.
Enjoy your sunshine...
Posted by: Nicole at February 02, 2006 06:20 AM (QUAb5)
4
Awww - Will you put little sunshines on the cupcakes?
Posted by: cursingmama at February 02, 2006 06:27 AM (PoQfr)
5
What a dear. You could make bright yellow icing for the cupcakes ...
Posted by: Ruth at February 02, 2006 07:05 AM (ZkZtT)
6
He's definitely got a good handle on things. Hug your Bright Side Boy for me.
xoxo
Posted by: margi at February 02, 2006 07:18 AM (nwEQH)
7
Just another... Awwww... to add to your collection. What a sweetheart!
Posted by: Amanda at February 02, 2006 08:38 AM (nsXpE)
8
That's what I'm missing! Cupcakes. I need a pick-me-up, too.
Gosh, I hope you gave that Bear a zillion hugs after that.
Posted by: ieatcrayonz at February 02, 2006 08:42 AM (FLJz9)
9
Sound like you've got PLENTY of sunshine, to me!
Posted by: Veeg at February 02, 2006 10:19 AM (gR0r8)
10
What a sweetheart! awwww.
Posted by: Anna at February 02, 2006 01:45 PM (LB2Dh)
11
How sweet. Something to remember when you want to nuke your head in the microwave!!
Posted by: Melissa at February 02, 2006 08:16 PM (RcXdn)
12
My sister often sings "You are my sunshine" to her boys when she puts them to bed. When skies are gray, children seem able to find light and warmth where we don't see them.
Posted by: Kimberly at February 03, 2006 04:40 AM (CXd4V)
13
I just love that boy, what a doll.
Posted by: A.K. at February 03, 2006 09:54 AM (u7kzr)
14
So when you ask yourself why you quit your job and faced potential financial ruin, just re-read this post and you'll have a very compelling answer.
Posted by: Lucinda at February 04, 2006 04:37 AM (OPvIN)
15
Bear is the sweetest kid ever.
Posted by: laura at February 04, 2006 10:04 AM (FzMzF)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
February 01, 2006
It ought to be illegal
So CD and I are watching the Ballroom Championships on Public Television (
shut up, like you weren't) and we're watching the American Smooth Foxtrot and I look at CD and wrinkle my forehead.
That music, I say....
He cocks his head and listens. What?
Oh, God...
What?
It's....
What?!
BON JOVI!!! They turned BON JOVI into foxtrot music. 'It's my life'! Turned into, like... Bubble Music!!
NO!!
YES!!!
TURN THE CHANNEL! QUICK! MY EARS ARE BLEEDING!
*mute*
Posted by: Elizabeth at
02:47 PM
| Comments (5)
| Add Comment
Post contains 87 words, total size 1 kb.
1
NO! Tell me they didn't!!
Posted by: Busy Mom at February 02, 2006 03:07 AM (JnTRH)
2
That's almost as bad as the time I heard Julio Iglesia sing The Doors' "Break on through to the other side". Horrors I tell you, horrors!
Posted by: Critter's Mom at February 02, 2006 06:16 AM (1EVH8)
3
Thank you for making me laugh today! I cannot even imagine.
Posted by: MJH at February 02, 2006 07:39 AM (T/3hM)
4
*Screaming, waving my hands in the air and running away*
Why did you tell me that!
Posted by: Soccamom at February 02, 2006 11:44 AM (CuxC8)
5
NOOooooo! That just is so wrong! Argh!
Posted by: Tammy at February 04, 2006 01:53 PM (M++hX)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
For this I owe you: here comes other reckonings.
I fight tears. I knew I was a sentimental fool but I find myself drowning in it. I know the kind words & actions of my coworkers are polite, generous tokens but my emotions have rough edges and push away my logic, the cool professionalism I have cultivated for so long.
"They are just being nice to me because I'm leaving" I remind myself. No good. I'm weepy and mushy and it's all I can do to keep a brave face on.
I am facing the end of the familiarity of my compatriots in the trenches. Of the echoes of their voices in teleconferences, the quick words and odd chuckle echoing over my speakerphone.
I know that the relationships arenÂ’t real in the sense of my tangible life. When it comes time to move, itÂ’s not like these men and women would trade their tan pants for ripped jeans and a strong shoulder against our belongings. I know that my son is just a notion to them as their children and wives and partners and friends and dogs and cats are all just ideas to me.
For all our years together, we could pass each other in an airport without a wave, without a nod.
And so much of the past year has been bad. Just cruel and crazy and nothing any sane person would want to hang onto. I tell myself that this is so healthy, to walk away before I spend one more week in such a place that can be so dark.
The truth of this job is clear.
Yet I'm fighting back tears.
As the goodbyes begin to accumulate. As the instant messages ring onto my screen. "How many more days?" they ask. "Got the short-timer's disease yet?" The phone rings... "Do you have plans?”
“Have you decided what you are going to do that first Monday?"
"Stay just one more week, then you can get paid for President's Day!"
And in meetings, I find my work being snatched away. Gestures of understanding and affection that mist me up. "Elizabeth, I have this - I will get the IP addresses from Security..." "Elizabeth, I will deal with gruff President, don't worry..." "Elizabeth, youÂ’re doing so much tying up loose ends, what can I do to..."
And I hit the Mute button, and huff out breath and take a moment.
I have affectionately called the engineers I work with the Tan Pants Brigade. As tens and tens of millions of dollars of equipment has passed through my projects - these are the people who have done the actual work. From the architecture to the delivery, installation, and production certification, I've grown to respect them and trust them.
I will miss them.
Maybe they arenÂ’t real. In my virtual job maybe most of them are just faces from my infrequent trips or voices that drift into my ear during endless teleconferences. Yeah, ok.
But I will miss them.
"Elizabeth," says the Director as I call to close down one of the last action items. "There will be no replacing you. I hope you know that."
"There's no such thing as an irreplacable resource," I parrot, which is part of Mega's standard philosophy.
"True," he laughs. "But there is in life. Take care of yourself, and of that amazing Bear of yours. We're pulling for you."
And I finally let the tears fall as I hang up the phone. I thought this choice would be easier, because it was what I wanted for so long. But it is turning out to be one of the most difficult months of my life.
I pick up Bear's picture and hold it to my heart and think about all the people I don't know - and will miss so damn much.
And I squeeze my eyes shut and cry.
extra credit if you can identify the title without Googling
Posted by: Elizabeth at
07:14 AM
| Comments (7)
| Add Comment
Post contains 665 words, total size 4 kb.
1
You have made the right choice. I know it's hard, but I hope you can cling to the fact that in 6 months you'll be able to look back and say "Yes, that was the right choice, I can't imagine how different the last 6 months would have been."
Even if it's hard, even if it's scary, hug your cutie little Bear and you'll know what the right answer is.
The moving on is harder than the choice to do so.
Hugs.
Posted by: caltechgirl at February 01, 2006 07:51 AM (/vgMZ)
2
I think it is the fear in the face of the unknown that causes us to cling closer to what we know -- even if it wasn't pretty before -- it starts to become pretty. The familiar endears itself to us in the face of change.
I believe we all have two minds: our logical mind and our emotional mind. In emotionally difficult situations, our emotional mind, however, deceives us. It paints things rosey when they were quiet black and gray before. Stop yourself in the tears, and think, "Was it all that great? Really?" Apply your logical mind and I suspect those tears will disappear.
Remember your logical mind will be honest. Your emotional mind will deceive!
Focus on Bear, focus on the fact you are doing what feels right -- and just acknowledge what you will truly miss -- the routine, the familiar, the faces, the career -- and then move forward.
You can always go back to a career, but you can't change time if you don't take the leap now while Bear is young
Posted by: Eyes for Lies at February 01, 2006 08:27 AM (L67iN)
3
The good news is: You must have enjoyed your job and co-workers, or you wouldn't be having these feelings. The bad news: It's only going to get harder the closer you get to "last day". And if no one has told you yet: There will be days in the future, when Bear is pulling your last grey hair, and the house is filled with dust and clutter, when you will only be able to remember the absolute best parts of your past job. Maybe that would be a good day to go back and read your blog, to remember why you are doing this!
Posted by: Tammy at February 01, 2006 09:16 AM (M++hX)
4
The worst job isn't all bad, nor is the best job all good. When I first found your blog, you seemed to love you job, and with good reason, and yet you regreted having less time than you wanted with Bear. I can't imagine that all of what you loved about your job has changed, the Tan Pants Brigade being a case in point. Even though it is clearly time for you to leave Mega, and I believe you will be happier when you have, you ARE losing something in doing so. I'd be surprised if you weren't crying.
Posted by: Kimberly at February 01, 2006 03:10 PM (CXd4V)
5
The ones who have made your life a mess? They're easy to set aside. To walk away from. It's the good, honest, trust-worthy, and hard-working people that tug at your heart. I know...
Posted by: Grace at February 01, 2006 03:52 PM (L058b)
6
As someone who has recently stepped down the corporate ladder to focus on my son and my pregnancy, I know what you are going through right now.
My last day in the office last week was hard. I was crying all morning while packing my box and saying goodbye beforeleaving was REALLY awful. I woke up at home on Friday and did not really know what I would do all day... what the hell was I thinking? It gets better though, I am getting the hang of it... but also as someone pointed out above there are moments during which I wished I could be back. It's keeping all in perspective that counts and KNOWING this is right, even though it may feel wrong at times. Sorry for the rambling... Just know that I am here pulling for you!
Posted by: Sol at February 02, 2006 01:41 AM (6tO3n)
7
I can't say anything to make this easier for you, but I want you to know that I have the utmost admiration for the courage with which you live your life.
Elizabeth, I was there years before Bear was born when you dreamed of meeting him. I was there when you were struggling to bring Bear into this world. At one point, you said to me "so have I completely scared you away from doing this?" I said then, and I say again now, no. As hard as things can get, the pull to love your children...even the ones yet to be conceived, is far stronger than fear.
I have watched you parent Bear with all of your being. I see your face light up when you talk about him. It is your big heart and great love that will make the lasting impression on him.
As hard as it is to walk away from the career you have worked so hard for, it is the time you spend with Bear that will stay in your heart as the most cherished memories of your life. And, they will be among his most cherished memories, as well.
I used to think that you just did the right thing, no matter how hard, and that is was usually fairly obvious what the right thing was. On the contrary,the rich tapestry of our lives is chock-full of choices that require us to give up one cherished thing for another cherished thing. Quite often, the answers aren't clearcut. A lot of times the choice that leads us to our heart's desire is far more complicated than any other path we could take.
And yet, you never end up at peace if you don't follow your heart.
Cry as much as you need to, but don't cry alone. There are shoulders at the ready.
Posted by: laura at February 04, 2006 09:00 AM (FzMzF)
Hide Comments
| Add Comment
132kb generated in CPU 0.038, elapsed 0.0843 seconds.
78 queries taking 0.0582 seconds, 360 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.