I don’t regret my career decision late last year to take on this training role, but I very clearly did not anticipate the level of challenge I’ve faced over the last three months. Everything from scheduling pressures to insufficient content design to poor trainee performance to judgment from the leadership team to a complete unwillingness to change the operating model that clearly isn’t working. I didn’t anticipate feeling like such a complete failure after so short a time with little to no hope for a way out. I’m disappointed by selfish motives and closed minds. If I hear one more person say, well, this other person did it this way ten years ago and it worked fine, I may lose my bananas. This job has me feeling a range of emotions that I’m not used to feeling every day. I’m frustrated but up for the challenge. I just wish I had some better outlets to blow off steam than doing NYT crossword puzzles, knitting, and rifling through music in the dance studio parking lot. Right now there’s no balance and that’s no good. This patio project I’m starting will either give me the personal lift I need or crush me even further into despair. How’s THAT for pressure? Do I ever learn anything?
Tag: tv
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April 11
Christina had a dance competition today. It was a very long day – we left home at 12:45 and got home at 9:45, with no time for lunch or dinner. Christina looked great, though! It was the last time she’ll perform her trio. Big smiles on their faces! They won a judge’s choice award for electric energy, and they deserved it. That’s impressive after being there for nine hours. Proud of our girl!
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March 20
I was on the road and couldn’t fill out a bracket before the March Madness started, so I printed out paper ones for me and Billy before I looked at any scores. Billy had already seen some of the scores, so he got one freebie that I missed (really, High Point?), but otherwise we’re on even ground. I’m having fun looking up all the scores and marking up the brackets. I am a nerd. We were going to go to Sea World today, but Christina still isn’t feeling well. We did come to Orlando (which was a wall of traffic from start to finish, thank you, Florida), but I think we’re going to stay in. Hopefully Christina feels better tomorrow. If not, she’s going to have to find a bench to lie down on because we have to check out of the hotel at 11.
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January 29
I had about six or seven minutes of blissful clarity in little 30-second bursts over the course of the day. There may be hope for me yet!
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December 17
Christina remembered she needed to bring her Secret Santa gift for dance just about when we were halfway there. She asked me to go back and get it after dropping her off, but Robin had a cheer performance at school that I couldn’t miss. Somehow I made it home despite insane rush hour traffic, got her gift, and made it to Robin’s game only three minutes late. The game was pretty awful. It was clear no one wanted to be there. There weren’t even parents watching. The boys lost 56-8. I left as soon as the game ended and got Christina’s gift to her seven minutes after class started. Then I had to muddle back through traffic to meet Billy and Robin for dinner, who were already waiting at the restaurant. By the time dinner was over, I was ready to go home and relax before getting Christina, but Billy pointed out that it was already time to pick her up. So I muddled BACK to dance for the third time in two hours. It was an eventful afternoon and evening. But everyone got what they needed, except maybe the boys basketball team coach.
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October 2
I had to do a test at the hospital that took up most of my afternoon, so I stopped at Chili’s for a late lunch and watched part of the game that eliminated the Astros from the postseason (oh darn). Nice to have a little time for myself.
Year in Photos 