Surgery Update

So a week has gone by and my foot is so much better. Went to the Dr. on Friday. He changed the bandage and my foot looked pretty good. I can't wait until the swelling goes down. Now, it's going to take some time to heal.

But as of yesterday I'm off pain meds, in a moon boot/walking boot, am allowed to return to the office part-time. I still have to prop my foot up, keep it iced down, and stay off as much as I can. Might as well get used to the newest fashion accessory! I'll take some pics and share :)

The recovery has been swift, exponential improvement!! I'm so glad. So I've spent a week in a recliner, relaxing, working, watching movies, reading books, and playing games on my computer. The dogs have been cuddling up with me, watching me, walking with me, making sure I get where I'm going ok. :) They have been so good.

So today, we dropped them off at the groomer, they got baths, brushed, massaged, teeth brushed, nails trimmed and had a generally good time. They came home smelling sooooo good - like pumpkin spice - just in time for Halloween!!! They are cuddling up on my lap and keeping me warm.......mmmmmm

I highly recommend my podiatrist: Dr. Rodney Roof @ the Cincinnati Center for Foot Care.

"...And in the end
The love you take
is equal to the love you make."
---The Beatles

Thanks for reading my Heavenly Thoughts

Today's Heavenly Thought

Working from home....

Some people are good at it. They get so much more done at home than they do in the office. Sometimes I'm one of those people. I can concentrate more in my office, where I control the environment, the interruptions, the workflow, the information. All of those things are important, but then there are other times when I feel it's absolutely imperative to be in the office. It's easier to interface directly with others to resolve issues, gain knowledge, get information or instruction.

Today was a good day to work from home. I accomplished quite a bit and will probably work a little more over the weekend and definitely on Monday. I'm not much of a New Year's Eve person, would prefer to stay home with my honey and have our own little party, if you know what I mean!

Tonight, we're going to head out to look at Christmas lights. It's kind of rainy, but I think people will turn on their holiday lights in spite of it. We'll see. All we'll do is spend time and a little gas in the car. If the pictures will come out, I'll post them tomorrow.

Take care and have a great night!

"...And in the end
The love you take
is equal to the love you make."
---The Beatles

Thanks for reading my Heavenly Thoughts

Motivation

I have been so overwhelmed at work and believe I am caught up - or at least for the most part. I got good news this week, they have an open req to hire another Program Manager, so I will have some help with my accounts. It's a good thing because I was not affective being overworked. So today, I came home from work early, am working on the some process diagrams and hope to be ok at work tomorrow.

What do you do when you are behind or overwhelmed? How do you dig yourself out of the hole? I have a tough time once I get behind. Especially if the work is very detailed and requires a great deal of my time when 8 other clients are waiting in line and their work is piling up.

Happy day today! It's nice to feel good about your job.

So busy at work

Have you ever been so busy at work that you just can't get caught up? Well, that's where I am right now. No matter how hard and how much I do, I just can't recover from my vacation a few weeks ago. It's very frustrating because I had it under control before I left.

I could use some advice from you if you have organized your emails in such a way that you were able to get through all of them after a holiday. I have read and read them and still to no avail. I think the only choice I have is to delete them and start over - HAHA!! JUST KIDDING! Seriously, I could use some pointers from other project managers or managers that have over 500 unread emails!! What do you do to help ease the burden?

My other issue is that most of the emails require some sort of response or action on my part....eecckkkkk! THE LIFE OF A PROJECT MANAGER is not always the easiest life!

"Knowing others is intelligence,
knowing yourself is true wisdom."
-- Lao Tzu

Thursday morning....back to the grind :)

Even though I don't consider my job a "grind" like some people do, I'm still heading to work on the train and wishing I was still in Cincinnati. I miss my kids, friends, family. They really want us to move back and after being there, it would be the smart thing to do. We don't have any support system here - and with Roland's health issues we will need it.

If something happens to him, I'm the only driver in the house now, so it will be all on me. If we were living in Cincinnati it would be totally different. His family, my family, the kids, our friends - we could all drive him if he needed it. Plus, there is a good transportation system for medical support in the area.

It would be an adjustment of sorts: we would end up paying LESS for gas, housing, utilities, food, clothing, taxes - well GEE - WE WOULD PAY LESS FOR EVERYTHING!! What the heck! Our family and friends are watching out for good pieces of property for us to consider buying and as far as everyone is concerned - we are moving back to Cincinnati.

I would have a job either way - would prefer to keep my current job because I really do love it. Don't know how they would feel about it, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
The vacation was great, the time off was needed, the trip was absolutely divine! Funny, we live in 'vacationland' and prefer to go back to the midwest for vacation - my co-workers think I'm nuts! And they are probably right, but not for this reason!

I'm on the train - it actually rained today so I didn't want to drive my car - the traffic is at a standstill anyway but even worse when it rains. These people would be lost if they had to drive
in the snow :) I hope when they go to Big Bear to ski, that I'm not on the roads. I do love the train, I love that I can type/read/listen to music and ride to work. It's so worth it! I was going to try to get there at 7:30 this morning, but I just couldn't make myself get up in time. I guess I am having a tough time getting off of vacation. :)

Thanks for everyone that I got to see for making my trip so much fun and for those that I didn't get to see or talk to, when we move back I'll be sure to see you! Wish me luck making the decisions, getting my company on board and making another cross country move. (THE LAST ONE I HOPE!!)

Surprise!!

It's been FOREVER!! I keep thinking of writing but I've been too busy with work and commuting and my family.

But today, I'm working from home.....well, Panera Bread - Free WiFi and A/C. My house doesn't have A/C and it's like hotter than hell today, so I came here. I don't have to commute because I'm only a few miles from my house - so I have a few minutes to say HI TO EVERYONE!!

I haven't had time to read what's going on with any of you, but I will start coming to these free hot spots and take a few minutes to myself before I get back to my SUPER BUSY routine.

What's new?

I like my new job alot. It's taken quite a bit of work to really get in the groove, learn the products, my customers and all the systems. But I'm getting it just fine, so I'm really into it now.

My personal life is great, things are moving along quite nicely.

Roland's disability retirement for his kidney disease has finally been approved - so he's been off work for about 3 or 4 weeks now. He is LOVING IT!! I love it too - he's really helping me alot - he has been doing the laundry, the grocery shopping, cleaning the house and some of the cooking. Geez, I've got it "MAID"!! hehe

Beka is moving back to Cincinnati in 10 days. I sure am gonna miss her. She is in love and well, we know what love does to our sense and sensibility!! it's all gone :) But she'll be fine, I'm sure of it. she is a strong young woman, doesn't take any crap, is self-sufficient and ready to be on her own this time. So, it's time for Mom to let her go - white knuckled and all!!

Tamara is doing good, making good money on her job, heading back to Cincy for a VISIT to see her son - it's his birthday this week - he's 15 years old! Amazing! I can't believe it.

We're going to visit Cincinnati in Sept. I can't wait, see my son, my daughter in law, see my daughter who will only be there a few weeks, see my friends, family and take in the sites. Wow, it's gonna be Roland and my first trip back in 2 years. I REALLY CAN'T WAIT, I MISS EVERYONE THERE SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!

Well, I wish everyone good health. I've gotta run, will try to write more often. I do have so much to say, lots of commentary, lots of politics going on, I just don't take the time. Prioritize !!

Holiday recap

I hope everyone had a fun day yesterday, celebrating our country's 231st birthday. My daughters were 2 of 600,000 people that went to beaches in San Diego County yesterday!! I loved it because there was NO traffic on I-5 all day long - thanks!

I made homemade fish & chips, drove my girls to and from the beach, took my dog on a long walk in Oceanside where it was nice and breezy. It was a good day.

Today is back to work, so I gotta run! Work is calling :) Have a great day!

"No one travelling on a business trip would be missed if he failed to arrive."
--- Thorstein Veblen

working with off-shore teams

Globalization - The Encyclopedia Britannica says that globalization is the "process by which the experience of everyday life ... is becoming standardized around the world." While some scholars and observers of globalization stress convergence of patterns of production and consumption and a resulting homogenization of culture, others stress that globalization has the potential to take many diverse forms.

I say it's the process of working with teams around the globe and completing a project in a timely fashion without missing the deliverables. I want to successfully deliver my project on time and on (or under) budget!! It's the cool part of proj mgmt, every PM wants to deliver on time and until budget. :)

Heading to Plano TX in July to visit my clients. I have 6 "sets" of customers to visit. Some will bring an entire group and others will only bring themselves. Either way, I'm looking forward to meeting them. Plano TX - hot in the summer!

Lawson Financial software

Are you a Business Analyst? Know one??? Looking for a gig??

How about Lawson Financial Software? Know it?? Ever used it?? Worked on a roll out?? Experienced enough combine what you know with your BA experience??

I know someone looking for a BA with Lawson experience, if that's you, contact me. I'll get you hooked up!!

"No one travelling on a business trip would be missed if he failed to arrive."
--- Thorstein Veblen

What do I want to be when I grow up??

Here I am again, wishing I had time to write daily. Trying to get through every day and have enough time to feel like I have an evening for myself. It's crazy

• 5 am - get up close to that time daily
• 6:30 am - leave for the train station
• 6:40 am - catch the train
• 7:30 am - arrive at my office
• 4:50 pm - catch the shuttle
• 6:00 pm - get back home
• take the dog for a walk, fix dinner, eat
• 9:30 pm - go to bed

That's my day and I still can't get over how much time I spend getting ready for work, working and then coming home! It's amazing. I know I committed to at least write a quick note daily.

I wish my job was blogging. Wouldn't that be great? I'd love to do a politic blog, have a talk radio program and just BITCH BITCH BITCH, and let everyone call me and BITCH! It would be soooooooo much fun!

"The Future is Ahead of Schedule"
---Anon

Happy Wednesday - over the hump!

Been a busy day, filled with events:

1. Beka safely arrived in Cincinnati tonight, vacationing there for 3 1/2 weeks.
2. Dealt with rush hour traffic on I-5 South this morning and North after work. Made me appreciate the train :)
3. Took Snicker for a walk. I still can't get him to walk good everytime. I am not going to give up, keep trying, he pulls, I correct, we walk.
4. had a Venti Coffee Light Frappicino and a piece of low-fat Blueberry Coffee cake from Starbucks for dinner!!
5. BLOGGED!!

My work here is done, a very successful day all-in-all!! More tomorrow

"The Future is Ahead of Schedule"
--- anon

Have not been writing regularly

Several of my readers have sent me messages wondering if I have fallen off the face of the earth since I'm not writing regularly. Thankfully, I am still around! I have just been extremely busy with my new job and there's nothing really interesting going on - I just go to work, ride the train, come home (total 11 hrs or so), walk the dog, eat dinner. Nothing overly exciting! I don't have much time for too much. By the time I have dinner, I have about an 1 1/2 hrs to relax, read, catch up on housework, or whatever I might have to do. I try to just hang out at the house and do as little as possible.

Then on the weekends, I spend my Sat morning running errands: bank, farmer's market, library, grocery store, walmart and any other errands. We go to the movie every weekend as long as there's something interesting to see. Usually there is. But as you can see, my life is pretty "normal" "boring" and not too much to write about right now.

I do have some fun plans coming up, worthy of writing about :)

1. going to a star gazing class this weekend with my telescope that I got for Christmas
2. taking my daughter to the airport because she's travelling back to Ohio for a nice, long visit
3. planning my own trips back to Ohio for a visit this fall
4. planning a trip with my family to Lake Tahoe

Some of those will be fun to do and I will have pictures and something to write about. So for now, I have to go to work. Everyone take care and I will try to write a "small" blurb daily - I promise!!

"The future is upon us."
--- anon

Finished My 2nd Week!

Today I finished up my second week on the job. One thing I realized today was how much I still don't know!! There's so much that I don't know that I don't even know what I don't know - does that make sense? I expressed that to my manager/trainer and when I did he assured me that I am getting it and know alot more than I realize. Wow! What a day to finish off my week and head out for a nice long weekend.

Hope you have a great weekend, enjoy Memorial Day Holiday!! Grill out!! Eat Food!!

"No one travelling on a business trip would be missed if he failed to arrive."
--- Thorstein Veblen

Happy Monday!!

Week 2 and all goes well. Tomorrow I have my first face-to-face meetings with a client, which I'm looking forward to! I rode the Coaster again today and that went well. The job is a good thing!!

This week is finale week: tonight is the season finale of two of my favorite shows - 24 and Heroes. Thank God for TIVO!! Going to watch Jack Bauer kick some ass on 24 and save Heroes for another day....:) Then who will be the next American Idol? Will it be Blake or Jordin? What do you think?

This week I'm going to enjoy my new job, enjoy the finales, and write all about it!! :)

"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!"
--- Eleanor Roosevelt

My First Week at Work

Well, even though I was stressed while I was off work and didn't get to REALLY enjoy my time - there's something to say about not having to get up at 5:30am and start my day!! This week was my first week on my new job. I had to recalibrate my internal timing to wake up early.

Fortunately, day 1 I didn't have to be at work until 9am. So I got up around 6:30am. The office is at least an hour drive from home, if there is heavier traffic, then it's 1 hr 20 min. My first day, I made it just in the nick of time. The rest of the week I needed to be there at 8am because there were meetings everyday at 8, so I had to get up at 5:30am, take care of the dog and myself to get out of the door in time. After 4 days of driving in heavy traffic, crawling along, I decided to ride the Coaster. It's really great here in San Diego, I can get the coaster about 10 mi from my house, ride it to the station closest to my office in 20 minutes, then catch a shuttle to the driveway at my office!! I'm at work in 30-35 minutes and have had time to listen to my book on IPOD, relax and I loved it!!

I learned alot at work - I am working in the telecom industry for a hardware/firmware manufacturer. I have to learn the industry, the language, the hardware, the process, the supply chain and my customers!! I'm well on my way, I've had many training meetings all week. It's very interesting and I'm glad that I accepted this position. I believe I will do really well here.

The company is global and I love working with global teams. I find it to be fulfilling, fun, and interesting making friends in other parts of the world.

The fun things that I did this week - I got to shop for new clothes for work. I got some really cute clothes. Since I'm still recovering from my foot surgery, the shoe thing is the challenge. I bought 2 pair of Ugg Clogs, very cute and will work when I have to dress up. The only problem, the first time I wore them, I got blisters on toes - OUCH!! So, I had to give those a rest this week and will have to wear bandaids on my toes and wear socks when I want to wear them at work.

We went out to eat on Saturday night to celebrate my new job! That was sooooooo good! We went to Vera Cruz Fish House in San Marcos. It was fantastic! I got Blue Nose Sea Bass and all I can say is that it was so delicious that a day later I recall how delicious it was. MMMmmm! I spent alot of time walking my dog this weekend, after listening to Cesar Millan's book. Everything he does with his dogs are after they have been exercised. So, I've been walking as much as my foot will allow.

I'll try to write more often, this week was just a bear. But I have to get going - it's almost bedtime! I'm not used to going to bed so early, but I have to or I can't get up! Take care!!

"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!"
--- Eleanor Roosevelt

My career continues...........YEAH!!

Good news!! I received a job offer that I accepted yesterday. It was with a company that I feel is stable, has a good product and will offer me the opportunity to learn a great deal. AND the plus is they are a hardware manufacturer. I am fascinated with manufacturing and have tried to learn as much as I can about the manufacturing process as I could over the years. But this opportunity will really get me entrenched in all the moving parts. I'M JAZZED!!

The commute is a typical San Diego commute, so I finally join the madness!! Books on TAPE!! Hit up the library this weekend to pick some up. PLUS, the hours are flexible so I will be able to work from home some, go in late, stay late, to help miss the traffic. And another part of my plan is to head to the gym early in the morning, work out, shower and get ready for work there. Lots of people do it, I can too. It will help me get back on track.

And the reason I know I can do it is because my doctor told me yesterday that I can wear whatever shoes I want, as long as they are not uncomfortable and cause my right foot any pain. So that's a BIG plus. I can hit the gym, walk the elliptical for the full time now and it's great!! Lose some weight, eat right, have an exciting and demanding job, have my wonderful fiance, great kids, and a loyal dog. Wow! It sounds perfect! (but we know it's not, but we try!!)

Glad to share the good news, if anything comes up or changes, you'll be the first to hear!!!

"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!"
--- Eleanor Roosevelt

It's been a while

Thanks to all of my friends at MyBlogLog who checked on me to see how my job search was going. All I can say is that "IT'S GOING". I did get an offer, but it was a little low for my experience level, so I am still looking around. I've had lots of phone "screenings", then pretty many second interviews on the phone, then 4 companies that invited me for face-to-face interviews (so far), already been to 2 of them, have one today and one tomorrow, and got an offer from one. So, I guess I'm doing pretty good. Afterall, it is a process.

The thing is it is taxing. It takes alot of energy, time and positiveness to keep on the search. I can't give up because I need a job. Everyone is asking me if I am enjoying my time off and frankly, I'm not. I'd rather be fighting traffic, complaining about long commutes (it is Southern California ya know) and going to work dealing with issues and problems, than to be home searching jobs, cleaning, cooking, laundry, aaaagghh!!

I did move into my townhome a couple of months ago and I still had a few things to unpack and setup and/or decorate. I have taken a little time to do that and even today, I'm going to start setting up my stereo. Need my music for my sun room and my upstairs. I spend most of my time in my office, so music maestro PLEASE!!

The BEST part is being able to spend time with Snicker. He is learning sooooo much. We've been going to positive training (clicker-type) and it's been really good. He can 'watch me', 'sit', 'down', 'take it', 'leave it', 'drop it' (sometimes), 'stay' (kind of), 'come' (most of the time), learning loose leash walking with sits and watch me's while walking. I have been taking him everywhere I can - he's fun to take places because he's so cute.
He is pretty good MOST of the time.....

Then it happens..........the transformation from good BOY to HOLY TERROR!!! (Remember, he was a rescue, he's about 1 yr old and has some bad habits that I'm trying to break) He BITES at us and nips us to get us to play with him, but he doesn't just want to play, he wants to play rough. He includes biting as part of the play, he jumps up on us, bites, if we stand and turn (to ignore him) then he bites our heels or the backs of our legs. I have tried everything the trainer suggested, I have tried everything I see online by the 'experts'. But nothing seems to work. We aren't giving up, but it's taxing. Could use some advice is anyone out there reading this is an expert or has overcome this with their dog. He is fixed, only about a month now, so I know that will help at some point.

"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!"
--- Eleanor Roosevelt

Interviews

I've had several phone interviews, had some face-to-face and hope to have a few more next week. I was hoping to take the job that I interviewed last week and the week before. But, there is a slight problem with pay that is a slightly lower than what I made already. Don't understand it, they have insight into my salary. Well, I don't want money to be the main decision-maker, but honestly, it is a good part of the decision.

I mean there's company culture, growth, opportunities, training, education, benefits, day's off, and I have found a couple places like this!!

I'm really tired now, so I will blog more tomorrow about what jobs are out there in San Diego.
God Bless!

"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!"
--- Eleanor Roosevelt

The waiting game.......

tick-tock....TICK-TOCK....wait....wait....wait some more :)

I don't mind the wait, really, especially when I have other options in the wings. In fact, it's a test in patience, something that we ALL need MORE of!! PATIENCE.

In fact, I had already decided not to do anything on my job search today...which has already been blown out of the water. I've already talked to a recruiter, have another one that I need to return a call to, and am looking in my email in case there's anything in there important enough to give some of my attention.


Besides, it's COLD here today. Supposed to rain later, so I am going to take Snicker for a nice walk in a bit. I kept hoping for some sunshine, but it's not happening. Bundle up baby!! Brrr, it's probably 58 degress or even a little colder.........Alright, alright, I know that is NOT cold, but it is for me now !! OMG - How will I ever handle Cincinnati weather again???????? EEEECCCKKK!

Tick-Tock....off I go.

"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!"
--- Eleanor Roosevelt

Big Interview Today

This morning I have my 3rd and 4th interview at a company close to home. In fact, my former company's "sister" company. They are solid, self-sustaining. The folks I've already met were really great, the company has a strategy, a good product, global clients and a smart, talented team. I'm up early to start getting ready, just thought I'd say GOOD MORNING!!

I have a phone interview at 11, after I get home. This company has been trying to hire me for a year. We'll see how that goes.

More on this later - have a great day!!!

"Women are like teabags. We don't know our true strength until we are in hot water!"
--- Eleanor Roosevelt