Don't Heckle The Supervillain

Whole lotta suck.

Today was a pretty crappy day. Tomorrow is going to be worse. Why? I have to let three people go tomorrow. And, yes, I know as bad as that is for me it will be worse for them. I'm not saying I have the worst of it.

They're not bad people. They just don't work as hard as they should and when it came time for a RIF, well, they're the first ones that spring to mind. They do just enough to get by. Show little to no initiative or are just lazy. I suppose I can say it's their fault for not working harder when they had the chance. Or I suppose I could say it's my fault for not being a better leader and inspiring them to work harder. I suppose I could say it's my company's fault for being such a piece of shit group of people to work for lo these many months. I suppose it could be all of the above.

But any way you slice it, tomorrow is going to be a bad day for all concerned. One of the hard lessons of personnel management.

I wonder how it will effect morale. Good? Get rid of the obvious dead weight, inspire people to work for fear of their jobs? Bad? Poison pill, people will hate the company (and by extension, me) even more? Neutral? Blo bla de, blo bla da life goes on?

This is something I wish I could talk to Nikki about. She's the one I talk to...about everything. I can tell friends but none of the DC group "get" me or would even care. The WI friends, well, I know they "get" me but it's hard to talk about this over a phone line involving a cast of characters who are unknowns. Nikki, she knows the players, "gets" me and genuinely cares. I wish she was here to talk to, to come home to, especially tomorrow night.

That is all.

Double Duty/Incommunicado

Ok, I was supposed to start doing this (on my schedule at least) Friday. But I am a little behind.

Nikki is in Jamaica with her sister Chrissy, Shelly and Tracie (Shelly's sister). This is a reward for Chrissy graduating college (congrats!) and Tracie graduating high school (grats as well!). Basically, the plan is to go over events that transpire while Nikki is incommunicado.

And that's as good a place to start as any. I haven't spoken to Nikki since Thursday. Which, while a little odd, is also very cool. When I mentioned this to Nikki on a couple different occasions she seemed to think it was bothering me or that I was freaking out over our not being able to talk while she was away. And while it is a bit odd, I didn't quite get across (probably because I would have found the worst possible way to say it) that I was actually not at all freaked out and, maybe, a little happy about it. Look, I know she's coming back and when she does she'll have a bunch of great stories to tell and pictures to show. I'm looking forward to that. If we were talking every day I'd have heard all the tales by the time she got home. It also allows her to focus on the experience with just her and her sister. I don't want her to feel obligated to talk to me. And finally, it gives me time to myself. I don't have to feel annoyed that something I was doing got interrupted by her calling and she doesn't feel like she has to interrupt her day to talk to me. I'm not saying anything in the neighborhood of I don't want to talk to her. I do, I love her, she's my favorite person. But a few days apart won't kill either of us. In fact, I think it will be good.

So Friday night I went out to Penang for Fil's birthday. A good time was had by all, though not as many people showed as were expected. This was not a problem though as it meant more food was available. And oh did I over eat. Not good but yet good. Between that, Pat K's retirement party (the cake and sandwiches were too difficult to resist) and last weekend's outing (I can't remember where but I remember eating out). Well, it's no wonder I'm losing to Nikki in our diet bet. And I really didn't want to lose either. Getting back on my diet is goal number one. I haven't gained any weight but I haven't lost any either. I'm just floating at 266. I need to break through. When Nikki returns and her sister leaves (part of the plan is for Chrissy to spend the 4th of July in DC with us and then a few days more) she and I will have mucho work to do. Me to keep her from slipping back and her to push me forward.

Anyway, back to Fil's party. Saw Homer and Nina, they're going nuts with pre-wedding stuff. The bachelor/bachelorette party was discussed and I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one (including bride and groom) with concerns over the swinger's club plans. Someone is projecting their desires onto the event but that's another argument. Saw Tony and Erica. Had fun chatting with both of them. And of course Fil. The Goldberg's are always a fun couple to chat with and I find myself really enjoying their company at these events. Sam and Mike were there too. Always fun. These events are fun. Good people, decent food and a few hours to chat. It's funny though, at Fil's 27th birthday, we must have stayed out until 3am. Six short years later and we're all packing it in at 10pm. We are old!

Came home, played some Tiger Woods and went to bed.

Saturday:

Woke up early and completed phase 3 of my little project. I was going to put on a second coat on Sunday but a very nosey woman from neighborhood came and informed me that the homeowner's association may not like what I was doing. So I hope Nikki likes it but not too much as I will probably have to change it! Went out grocery shopping. Cleaned the townhouse, organized. Did laundry etc.

Got a huge surprise when Sarah dropped by. We went out to Dairy Godmother because she wanted ice cream (I was good, didn't have any). We then went to William Sonoma for her birthday gift (belated). She picked up a probe thermometer and oven thermometer. Enjoy! Fortunately, I had a gift certificate which I used. Then came home, enjoyed the evening, played some TW. Watched the Guardian. Thunderstorms moved in heavy and it was pretty cool. I was worried it might impact my project but it was well and dried by then.

Sunday:

Woke up late, had lunch. Played some TW, cleaned up a little more. Went to Target, picked up some necessities and a homecoming gift for Nikki! Came home, finished up the last of the laundry (the buzzer just dinged) and generally prepped for tomorrow. Speaking of which I need to get to bed. One of the advantages of Nikki not calling is getting to sleep on time and here I am staying up late! Bad me.

Two things before I go. My fan finally died. I am sad. I've had it since college and it was a very good fan. More powerful than most and I really liked it. *sigh*

The other thing is not so simple. My Mom hurt herself. I talked to her again tonight and the conversation did not go well. I don't want to move back to Wausau and my Mom pretty much stated that is what she wants me to do...or Chicago. I don't want that, and I know Nikki doesn't either. But mostly, I don't want that. I think it hurt my Mom a lot to hear that come out of my mouth. When I told her how much I loved San Diego she asked me how, after growing up with the seasons, I could want to live somewhere without them. The truth is, as wonderful as they are, I don't need them in my life. I really loved San Diego. My ultimate point is that I'm going to have to find a way to move my Mom out where I am. Unfortunately, that's going to have to happen sooner rather than later and it's a conversation I need to have with Nikki. I'm not sure how this impact our relationship. But it can't not.

Well, time for bed. Gotta get up tomorrow and start working on firing three people.

That is all.

Interesting article.

Usually, I hate these articles. But this one is pretty good. I think I've done everyone of these.

A Dating Guide for Women: "Man Talk" Translation