It annoys me that my supervisor keeps asking me if I'm "comfortable" with a plan of action document that I wrote over 3 months ago and submitted for his review AND have already started implementing. What the hell does he mean by "comfortable"? And why, 3 months later, has he yet to review it? And it seems a little late to be asking me if I'm comfortable with it when I'm already knee deep into it.

It annoys me that he treats me like his personal administrative assistant. I'm not his administrative assistant. I'd actually like to be an administrative or executive assistant. But currently, that's not my job title or an accurate description of my job. I suppose if he respected me enough to read the documents he's always asking me to create, I'd be a little more easygoing on this point.

It annoys me that I was told at the initial interview that this program for which I'd work was for all intensive purposes approved, when in reality, its' 6 months later and it's still not approved. Lesson learned, I will never work for a social service program again that doesn't have its approval and financing at the time of the interview. Oh, wait...I'm thinking I should just wash my hands of non-profits all together.

It annoys me that it was highly stressed to me at the interview that this job required an individual who can be successfull working autonomously and independently make decisions and follow through(terrific, that's my strong point). In reality, my position requires a person with a strong personality who is good at team work and doesn't mind running their projects and work by 20 other people to see what they think until they run around in bloody circles. Not my weakness, but certainly ain't my strength.

2007 ... the year of changes ...

We left Pittsburgh. Traveled to Vietnam. Bought a house in Buffalo. I reconnected with a childhood friend who lives here now. Childhood friend helped us make new friends. We met a ton of new people through estrip. I started blogging for the first time ever. We started at a new church that we really like. I started a new job. My last job I loved, but I came home angry and frustrated. This job, I don't love, but I come home with a happier disposition at the end of the day. I now have time to do the things I enjoy because I'm not utterly exhausted from work. My mom declared she was divorcing my dad, an act that sent our little family into a tailspin. We celebrated the holidays in our home with my family and it turned into a mini family reunion. In 2007, I have been the happiest I've been for several years.

2008

I want more changes for 2008. I'm going to make a plan for work...go back to school, switch jobs, do something...but I need to make a plan for the future. I'm going to consider being a commissioned lay pastor, so I can serve a church in a way that won't conflict with my husband being a pastor. I offered to teach piano lessons to children at Massachusetts's Avenue Project and I am going to try to make it happen. I'm going to travel to Bulgaria in July, hopefully.

I hope a few things stay the same. Share my life with (e:Drew). Live in Buffalo. Stay connected with our friends and church.

Here's to another year!

This is our view from the bathroom. Usually when I look at it, I think, they really need to paint their house before the clapboard starts rotting. But in the winter time it has this old rustic farmhouse look to it that I like.


This was the view from our window this morning. I rarely watch the weather, so unless I hear weather murmuring from other people, snow like this is a pleasant surprise.


This is the view of a window from our bedroom door. One day, we plan on having a stained glass window. In the summer I'll have a beautiful stained glass view and in the winter I already have a winter wonderland view, I'm never going to want to leave bed.

I'm such a little kid...I'm so excited to be off from work soon for the Christmas holiday...I can hardly stand it. It's only 10:15am and it feels like the day is dragging on FOREVER.... It is the never ending work day full of bad Christmas music and minory annoyances. It's standing in between me and family, fun, presents, Christmas celebrations...I have work I COULD, in theory, be doing, but I can only think about 4:30pm...at which point the work ends and the fun begins.

So a person comes to work with the plan to check e-mail and voicemail from the previous work day and shoot off to a morning meeting in Hamburg. Voicemail, e-mail and estrip checked, the person gets up and starts leaving the building to drive to the meeting. The person runs into their supervisor who lives in Hamburg. "Hm", the person says, "Mr. Supervisor, why did you drive here to work only to turn around to go back to the meeting in Hamburg". Mr. Supervisor pulled a face that said, Meeting? What meeting? That face was quickly folllowed by a face of dawning realization. Then Mr. Supervisor finally said, "<ahem, clear throat> The meeting was cancelled....oh, no, I need to call everyone else to make sure they know".

Is it just in social services where these things happen? Would people at the prestigious Roswell schedule meetings then capriciously cancel them without telling anyone? I mean, am I complaining about something that happens everywhere....I guess scheduling and canceling meetings is just a pet peeve of mine I like to rant about it.