The Lesson Learned

July in April

It feels like July outside. It’s 83 degrees, which is freaking hot for April. Please understand that I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not. I’ll take the hot weather over cold anytime. But it still seems weird to step out on a nice spring day and find mid-summer weather. Strange.

W is for Weekend

This weekend has been brought to me by the letter “W.”

Working around the house.
Wedding attendance.
Working at the office.
Watching soccer games.
Web logging when time allows.

No Fan Site

Don't worry. This will not become the Official Boston Rob Fan Site. I promise. But I couldn't resist posting just one more picture.

Isn't he a hottie?

Just a little Survivor eye candy. Because that's what I would want if stranded on an island. Heh.

I'm done now. I promise.

For real.

I mean it.

I Heart Boston

Boston Rob, that is. I love Boston too, of course. But this post is about the Rob variety of Boston. Does that make sense? Probably not.

Anyway, this is another Survivor spoiler. Don’t want anything spoiled? Don’t read. It’s really quite simple.

So I enjoyed last night’s episode of Survivor. There was a minor snag when company showed up during the middle of my show. We don’t have tivo (bummer), but we have a trusty VCR so we didn’t miss anything.

Here’s my take:

The Reward/Immunity Challenge

The obstacle course looked pretty tough. Especially when taking into account the fact that four people had to complete each phase before moving on to the next. Alicia picked the small, quick people and it paid off. And she may have been the captain, but Rob lead the team to victory. Again. He is a dynamo at those challenges. I fear that if he fails to win a challenge they will eliminate him at their earliest opportunity. If they are playing to win, that would be the best plan.

I’m crossing my fingers that he will keep winning challenges.

Sharing the Reward

Some of the survivor players seemed to think Rob gave up the opportunity to watch his family’s video out of strategy. He admitted that it was a good move, but that strategy was not his main objective. And I believe him. Am I being gullible? I don’t know, but I believe him because he admitted to feeling a bit guilty for not watching the video that his brother went to the trouble to record for him. I think that if his motive was one of strategy he would not have looked back or felt any guilt.

But what do you expect from me? I heart Boston Rob.

UPDATE: I guess that I should probably say somthing about Kathy getting voted off. I liked Kathy. I think she was a smart, tough player. But she took part in a game-ending blunder along with Lex and her game is over. Also, I think her vendetta against Amber was unnecessary. Survivor is a game. And Survivor All Stars is the ultimate fast-paced version of the game. The goal is to outwit, outplay, and outlast the other players.

What You Say?

I’ve been home from the office for about five minutes. In my typical multi-tasking method, I was kicking back on the sofa with my laptop, checking my e-mail, and listening to the news when the youngest son strolls by basketball in hand.

YS: Half-asking, half-telling, “I’m going out to shoot hoops. Okay, mom?”
Me: Distracted, “Ummmmm, Okay.”
YS: Startled, “Oh. Hi, mom.”
Me: Laughing, “Uh, Hi??”

Yeah, that snapped me out of my funk too.
And I guess the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree--the tree of distraction.

Sprechen das Englisch?

Have you ever read something you wrote and realized that someone who didn’t know you, and some who do, might think English is your second language because you managed to misplace several words in each and every sentence you wrote? Yeah, it’s been a long day. Or it's a long day been. The meaning is the same either way.

A Thing for Boston

Consider this a warning: Read at your own risk. You may choose to run for a safer site if you’re not into Survivor or reality shows. This post is a Survivor spoiler (of sorts). Consider yourself warned.

I have a thing for Boston Rob on Survivor All Stars. There—my dirty little secret is out in the open. It’s hard to explain, but I’m attracted to something about him. Something I find irresistible.

The strangest thing is that I barely noticed him the first time he was on Survivor in Marquesas. He really didn’t make much of an impression on me and I expected to feel more of the same ambivalence regarding him during this Survivor series. Instead I am drawn to him. And it isn’t about his looks or his rippling muscles. It certainly isn’t his gold chain or ‘80s-style wife beater tank top.

I really wasn’t sure what the attraction was all about until the episode when Amber was moved to the other tribe (or rather, all the tribe members move except Amber). He looked like a lost puppy and the intensity of his feelings for her became rather obvious. And then I realized that my thing for him is all about his intensity.

His commitment and determination to win each challenge is crystal clear. He’s single-handedly won several of the team challenges for his tribe. He plays the game of Survivor with such passion and intensity that it’s rather contagious. And whether he wins or loses, it’s clear that he gave it his all. It’s intense.

I can’t recall a member of Survivor playing with such obvious intensity. And call me crazy if you must, but I really hope he wins it all. I think his intensity warrants a win.

As the Wheels Turn

I have one more thing to say tonight. There’s something I don’t understand about some people. Upon learning that I purchased a new car, several of my friends, or more specifically some of my male friends, immediately responded with phony crash and performance statistics about the Liberty. Upon seeing my horrified expression, they responded that they were only joking about the statistics. And one of them threatened to key my vehicle as a joke.

Why do they do this to me? I don’t see humor in either of those situations. And I think the typical new-car owner doesn’t want to hear about lousy crash and performance statistics even if they are of the phony variety. Also anyone who enjoys washing cars by hand knows the disappointment in finding the inevitable door dings and key scratches that occur over time.

And while I know my friends were only joking and I responded with a faint chuckle, I didn’t find either scenario to be a laughing matter. I think they were perfect examples of what not to say.

The New Wheels

I’m funny about cars. While I have no knowledge or interest in obtaining knowledge about what lies beneath the hood of my car, I’ve always been interested in different models of cars. I love car shopping. I love checking out my friend’s cars. I love the new-car smell. In fact, when I first met my husband my ability to recognize and name various models of cars by a glimpse of a fender or taillight impressed him. (Yeah, it doesn’t take much to impress him, but we’re not going there today!) I’m especially attracted to SUVs.

I never had one before this week. We decided to take advantage of the special offer of zero percent financing plus an incentive that a local dealership was running. And I absolutely love it. I had worried that I would miss my little red car as I have always owned a red car, but I have so much fun driving the new silver SUV that I haven’t looked back.

I plan to keep it and drive it until the wheels fall off. Not literally, of course. And I’m thinking and hoping that this will be many years down the road. No pun intended. Because I plan to keep it forever, I also plan to take excellent care of it as well. While we are very good at the upkeep of our cars concerning scheduled maintenance, we tend to slack on the washing and vacuuming side of things.

I was once rather impressed by a woman who lived in the apartment complexes where I lived during my single days. This woman drove a Dodge Shadow, but you would have thought it was a luxury car by the amount of attention she gave it. The exterior was always spotless and she vacuumed and treated the interior with a vinyl protectant once or twice a week. She spent hours taking care of this car and it showed. The thing looked as good as new, though she had owned it for several years. I was impressed, but not so much that it affected the way I treated my car.

Until now that is. I’ve only owned my baby for a week and I’ve already scrubbed it once from top to bottom. I washed my husband’s truck as well. The thing is, I truly enjoy washing cars. I love that it provides solitude and time to think. I love that the little effort involved produces immediate and pleasant results. Every time I wash cars I wonder why I don’t do it more frequently. And I think the purchase of my dream car is the best thing to happen to the hubby’s truck. He NEVER cleans it and I’m can’t stand the sight of his dirty vehicle sitting next to my shiny clean car. So, in spite of the fact that his vehicle is twice as big as mine and takes twice as long to clean, while I’m at it I always clean his too.

And the best thing about my little SUV is that it’s 50 percent windows, which are a breeze to clean.

The "R" Word

So I’ve been hemming and hawing over some good news that I’ve been promising threatening promising to share with all of you. So, here’s the thing. Yes, there’s a thing. Did you think there wouldn’t be a thing? You knew there would be a thing? Of course, there’s a thing. There’s always a thing. Where was I? Oh yeah, the thing. Here’s the thing. The thing is. . .

The thing is it’s all about recognition. Recognition is a big, four-syllable word with implications that extend beyond the size of the word. As a longtime perfectionist and someone who enjoys doing the job the correct way, I’m accustomed to a certain amount of recognition. I’ve always been recognized as a “go-to” person. Someone who will help out in time of need without many questions asked. At work, I’m known by my peers as someone who won’t stop until the job is done correctly.

But the recognition is typically from only my peers and colleagues that I work with in my immediate team, special project teams, or my boss. The people at the top never recognize my talents and for the most part I try to keep it that way. I normally lay low. And so it’s been.

I currently have a very heavy workload. The proof is in our weekly project reports. My report is several pages thicker than that of my colleagues with more experience and seniority than I. In fact, I inherited several of my projects from these now less-busy colleagues. And being the new kid on the block, I didn’t think there was anything I could do about it. I’ve resented some of these hand-me-down projects as I generally don’t appreciate getting the leftovers, but I figured there wasn’t anything I could do about it. And I really wanted to feel like I fit in with my team. I wanted them to respect and appreciate me as a valued member of their team. I wanted everyone to like me. So, I buckled down, put my nose to the grindstone, and complained only on these pages.

And in the past several months, I’ve produced some work that I’m quite proud of. With my typically perfectionist standards, I’ve taken two of the projects to the next level. I’ve enhanced, improved, and automated the projects and their processes. And I obtained something I’ve never had before, rather unintentionally at that--I received recognition from the top bosses. Not too much, mind you. I haven’t been promoted to President of the World or deemed as She Who Walks on Water. I simply received recognition and appreciation for my efforts--and it was great. And they now know who I am—not so great. So much for laying low.

As a direct result of the work above, it was decided that I would represent my team’s effort on our biggest project. The project isn’t just big to my team, it’s the most important project company-wide. How it landed on my plate, was somewhat of a surprise to me as well. I have the least amount of experience, but landed the biggest, most high-profile project. I didn’t ask for it and I have no choice in the matter. It was decided by the people at the top and supported by my immediate boss.

It’s really quite crazy. There I was happily (for the most part) working on normal, everyday projects one day and assigned the project of the century the next. Life is funny.

And not everyone is happy for me. Some of my colleagues have been less than pleased with the recognition or the fallout it seemed to cause. They’re less than impressed with the fact that it all started with the very projects they tossed my way. The projects they seemed to deem to be beneath them. The projects they will inherit back, albeit in upgraded form, because the new project will require all of my time.

I’m sorry, but I see irony in all of this. I see some lessons to be learned. I also see a need to watch my back. I see a lot of hard work ahead. I see a need to keep my nose to grindstone. I see a need to lay as low as I can. And I see some silent blog days ahead. But I also see a story to tell when there’s time for the telling.

And now I’m off to the office that I fear will become my home away from home. For now, at least.