Work Related

Any and all posts related to my professional life.

Flying Gods are NOT With Me.

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O.k.. so The flying gods are not with me despite the well wishes from my fans!!   For “mechanical reasons” (overdue inspections), United has grounded quite a few flights…  I was not only NOT able to get on an earlier flight, I will consider myself extremely lucky to sit in a middle seat and get home as promised…  United committed to get me home by 10pm….  if they actually follow thru, I will be shocked .  We could all take head of the lessons that the airlines teach us —  set very low expectations and not deliver consistently. that way, when they actually do deliver once in a while, the “shock and awe” is good.   You actually get excited that they followed thru on something because it happens so rarely. 

All of you should know that I’ve done extremely well with my NOT drinking on the airplane (I know, why would I make this a NYR.. … I dont know, I just did it)…  Its been really hard, but I’ve followed thru.  For the first time I felt comfortable with the decision was on 2/13… flying to Boston this last trip.  It was the first time I didn’t salivate (if you will) for a cocktail.  I am in the preliminary steps of breaking a habit.. I’m so proud of myself.  So, when my family, friends, dates (ex husbands) suggest I drink too much, I will tell them, “but  I dont on airplanes!!!!!” . Yes, with that much enthusiasm…. 

O.k. so many “thoughts” are flying thru my mind while at the bar, a few of them include:

  • United Airlines.. you suck.  You basically over-promise and under-delive every single time. 
  • Customer Service Reps.. whether on the phone or in person, why, why, why do you join/be/stay in Customer Service if you dont like helping people (or people in general)??  I’ll never get it.  My advice – if you don’t like it, get out, you make this world a worst place to live in because you are so miserable. 
  • Why is the guy in front of me in grey/green scrubs?  Didn’t have time to change before a flight?
  • Men who wear rings, sit next to “hooker looking” girls at airport bars, and mention their wives..  really?  Hmmm…
  • Boston if cold… just plain cold. Their warm days suck – its still cold.
  • Boston accents are funny … and cool (if you are good looking).
  • Funny how every man under 6′  is the same height as me… whats up with that?  They are either short or tall.. no in-between.  And I’m the 2nd shortest person I know so why do I discrimate so?
  • Thank god they don’t let folks use cell phones on the airplane. If I sat next to a chatty cathy, I would have to kill them…  I am sure I would NOT like prison life.
  • Someone just walked into the bar.. and now it smells like dirty socks.  Gross – who can’t/doesn’t take the time to change their socks/shower during travel?

O.k..   I’ll update this blog as interesting thoughts come to me…   once I board the flight though, its all over, I’ll pass out before takeoff (something about the vibration).  However, as you all know, the Paula jutebox will never stop.

Flying Standby.

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Oh lordy, what a bumpy ride I’ve had these last couple of weeks.

Long in short of it is that I’m flying standby on a flight to SF from Boston.  I flew out to Boston to deliver a demo, my first one for my new company.  It was NOT to a customer(thank god), but to my managers… who gave me great feedback on my demo delivery.  I am growing as a professional, learning from people that I respect and admire.  I’m so lucky… 

 The demo … well, not great.  But I now have room for improvement.  🙂  BUT, in my defense, my computer crashed and I cobbled together a decent demo in 4 days..    I’ve leaned a lot, but I am totally exhausted from the experience.  Its 10pm, my face is washed, I’m in my jammies, and I’m in bed.  I can’t wait to fall asleep.

But tomorrow brings the opportunity to fly home early…  to depart on the 2ish flight vs. the 6ish flight.  I want everyone to cross their fingers and wish me luck – I need to be home and in my bed NOT working on a demo for a few days….If any of you out there have United influence, please help.  Send good wishes my way – I know I’ll need it now that I’ve lost status.

O.k. Short but sweet post – I’ve just swallowed a little white pill and I have 8 hours of uninterupted asleep ahead of me.  Dreammmyyy.

Totally Drained. Emotionally Spent. Nothing Left to Give.

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These last 3 weeks have been brutal.  I have been traveling non-stop to Boston for 3 weeks for my new job to get up to speed on new technology, messaging, and relationships.   I’m just recovered from a  bad cold.  A friendship I really enjoyed somehow went from fun to fatal in my absense.  My dad has not recovered from his surgery and is not doing well. My nieces car engine needs to be replaced so she can get to/from school and work.   And tonight, while at dinner with colleagues, I received a call from some crazy lady back home who has trapped my cat inside her house.    She is going to let her go tonight – but who does that??  Sophie, the cat, only travels/adventures out when I’m gone too long, heads out to look for me (or love.. maybe food)…. breaks my heart. 

The experience of processing everything that is going on and trying to figure out what I need to do to move forward has left me emotionally spent.  My energy levels are very low. My body feels heavy, tired, and completely run down. My mind is muddled and blank. I’m not quite sure what direction to go in….  I’m numb.

I know that life is busy and full of challenges… most of the time I can handle it, and sometimes even with grace.  Other times, like now, it just takes a toll.  I have zero room for anything else right now…. I have nothing else to give.  And I still have two more days of training in cold, grey Boston….  an expensive car bill… an unhappy/trapped cat.  I honestly don’t know how I’m going to get thru the rest of the week.  Friday can’t come soon enough.

I cannot wait to come home, spend time with friends, see the cats, and reconnect with myself .

Crying on the Airplane.

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What is it about sitting on an airplane, watching movies on the 12 inch monitor attached to the ceiling that makes me cry?  I’ve cried maybe a handful of times over the last year, most of which, has been on airplanes (non-airplane crying includes in my bed after receiving some bad news, and another time on the couch watching Crazy Heart…)

So tonight, I’m on a long flight, probably the longest flight you can take and still stay in the US – a Coast to Coast trip that takes 6 hours.  All for a good reason.  But because the flight was so long, they showed two movies.  Both movies brought me to tears. TWICE in one night (which would be awesome if it was speaking about a different situation….  huba huba huba).

The movies – Eat Pray Love and The Switch.  First, I read Eat Pray Love, and did not take a liking to it. I felt it was fake – here is a woman who got paid to spend a year off, running about in three exotic places, “discovering” herself, and writing about it.  We should all be so lucky.  I spent the 12 months after my divorce working, taking care of the cats, and learning to breathe again (as you have born witness to on this very blog).  So I would prefer to strip out the drama and learn about how other people did it; how they picked themselves up after a major heartbreak or “failure” and got back on track.  I’m also no Julia Roberts fan – she knows how to be herself, but really, outside of her goofy grin and giggle, what does she have?  There is an episode of Family Guy that makes fun of her..showcases how much she loves herself: Julia Roberts Loves Herself.    Its one of my favorite Family Guy clips.  😉  But, the result of watching this movie on the airplane?  Tears.  Damn.

The other movie – The Swith.   It does have Jennifer Aniston in it, not the best actress.. plays herself well, but she doens’t do it for me (I love the Kates –  Kate Windslet and Kate Blanchet).  Anyway, one of my favorite actors, Justin Bateman, is in the movie (loved him in Juno, fabulous in Arrested Development) so I gave it a chance.  It was cute.  Besides all the unnecessary drama, I liked it – the theme was about taking risks for love…  If there is anything worth taking a risk for, shouldn’t it be love (and money)?  Tears.  Double Damn.

I do not like to cry, and more importantly, I do NOT like displaying emotions in public.  Its nobody’s business what I’m going thru, and if I’m going thru something emotional, then I want to be doing it in the privacy of my own home.  Apparently not last night though, as I shed a bunch of tears while on a plane with a bunch of strangers – I let it be known that I’m actually a softy…    Thank god no one recognized me.

O.k.. I have dry lips and have to find my chapstick.

Cha Cha Cha Changes.

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My life is about to change in a big way…. both good and bad.  Most of the changes in our lives happen due to unexpected events….    There are a lot of changes going on in my life right now, changes I can’t talk about, but changes that will alter the course of my life.  I’m scared.  I either make it or I don’t.   I have little to zero control over what has happened, but I am in control of what I do now…  how I react to the situation, how I move forward.  I’m taking it one day (maybe an hour??) at a time so anxiety doesn’t consume me.

In addition to these changes, I spend a lot of time at the end of the year reflecting on the year, my choices, life happenstance.  This year, I made a lot of choices that are irreversable, and now, things beyond my control have altered my lifestyle…  I’ve been thrown up in the air, my feet are facing the sky, my back is down, and I’m looking to turn it around before the new year begins…  we shall see.   I have no idea how I’m going to land, but I am making a plan to land on my feet.

Work Is Tough Work.

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God, I’m exhausted.  I’ve been thinking 5 full days a week for 4 full weeks.  I cannot believe that I actually signed up for this.  But I did, so I’m going to stick it out.  Here are the things I love:

  • The People. They are awesome. I’ve still not met a not-nice or politically motivated person. Everyone seems sincerely interested in the best interest of the company.
  • The Supporting Technology.  The new company has the best supporting software… for example, they use WebEx and not LiveMeeting. I cannot tell you how much easier this makes remote meetings.  From creating a meeting, joining a meeting, giving and taking presenter mode, and most of all, performance.  It truly is remarkable how much easier this makes my job.
  • Internal Systems.  Wow, what a difference. They use Fidelity for 401k, SalesForce.com for managing opportunities (customers, prospects, etc)… honestly, this makes taking care of business, personal and business so much easier.

These are just the little things that make a huge difference in my day to day life.  And it matters to me because I want to spend my time making money, not doing house-keeping…

I’m exhausted and I’m heading to bed soon.   Tonight is the first night that I’ve not worked… .I’m having a cocktail and watching recorded TV shows from the last 4 weeks (who doesn’t love 30 Rock, the Office, and Family Guy?).  I’m heading to bed in a few minutes…. exhausted but smiling.  And tomorrow I KNOW I have a full day of work… I have meetings until 5pm.. who would have thunk that this Paula would work a full Friday???

The New Job.

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 So, 3 full days into the new job, and so far so good.   Even after my 3rd day of getting up early, showering, getting dressed, and driving into work,  I’m still doing it with a smile on my face.  For me, this is proof positive that I’ve made the right decision. 

I have been learning about a whole new market segment as well as learning the ups and downs of the new products I will become intimately familiar with.  Its all very exciting and manageable.  And I can see how I can make money doing it.  Thats what I need, money, so I can by a little piece of California real estate.

So far, here is what I’m loving about the new company:

  • The People. All of the folks I’ve met so far are so nice.  Must be a requirement to work here…  This was the hardest part about leaving my old job…  Loved my co-workers.
  • The Company.  They fundamentally believe that their people are the most valuable asset and they back this up with great benefits and opportunity.  May seem small, but matching 401K and good health benefits make a big difference to me.
  • That I Get It.  That I understand what the products are about, the problems they are solving.  Product is pretty easy to learn and demo – ramp up time is one month. 
  • Learning Something New.  I’m learning a whole new market and industry.  Very cool.
  • Last but not least, Opportunity.  There is so much opportunity at this new company – they are growing in a healthy, defined way.  They are profitable. They have a healthy pipeline.  It’s mine to ruin.  I know I can make something happen for me…. my destiny is in my hands.

There is one bad thing about it though… the cats are very disappointed that I’m not home to take care of them.  They have been very needy when I have been home.  As a matter of fact, I’m typing this post up with a cat sprawled across my lap, one paw on the keyboard.  They like to eat at 4pm, I’ve not been home until after 6pm every night.  And I’m so tired that I’ve been eating dinner and then heading to bed… no going out for happy hours, much less drinking, but no exercise.

I will have to learn to find a balance – to make sure that I take care of myself and that the cats adjust…

A New Life.

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Wow, I’m sitting in my bed right now, realizing that life as I know it is going to end. Waking up at 7:55am, rolling into the home office at 8am for a call in my PJ’s is not going to happen for quite a while ….  ( I know, I know, anyone that knows me KNOWS that these are very generous timeframes)..

I now have a job that requires me to be in an office at 9am ish on a daily basis.  This is a BIG DEAL.  I honestly do NOT know how I’m going to deal with this… let alone how its going to effect the cats.  What are we all going to do at 6:3o am on Monday?  Shock and awe is what we all are going to experience.

BTW, do a quick search on new job, and here is an article you will get:  http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/firstjob/a/new_job.htm  I love it.  “Fitting In” and “What to Wear”.  If this is what my new colleagues are worried about, they are in quite a shocker.  These are not my issues.   God help anyone that interferes with me tommorrow before 10am (is that nice to say on the eve of my new job??).

Lordy lordy….. how am I going to do it?  8am IN THE OFFICE?  Go to bed now is key.  Good night yo’ll.

New Job.

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So, some big news to report.   I resigned from my current job.  I have accepted a new job, same position, with another company.

I have been unhappy with my company and my role for over a year now.  I don’t take switching jobs lightly (I do have a lot of responsibilities, including  two cats to provide for, rent, mortgage, etc.. !!), but something had to be done.   I did speak to my manager several times about my dissatisfaction and have offered up multiple solutions.  Nothing was done on their side, so it felt like it was time for me to move on.

I view my relationship with a company a lot like my personal relationships – All I can do is communicate my feelings/needs, be communicative, and open to options.  If the other person/company doesn’t respond, then they aren’t interested in growing together…  And I’m not interested in spending one moment in an “unhappy” state with anyone, including an employer.

So there you have it.  Captain of my ship and I’m steering my boat in a different direction.

My firsts day is April 19th and I’m excited about it.  Its feels good to be excited, to be  starting over and doing something new.!!

Random Notes From a Frequent Traveler….

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 Soo.. random thoughts while traveling home….

For those of you who don’t travel for work, and you think “business travel” is glamorous, please read on.  Life on the road is not all that great, so please give a bit to those you know who travel frequently.

I am on the plane now (finally, after a 1 hour delay).  We are far enough up in the air for me to safely use a computer without bringing the airplane down and risking the lives of myself and all the other passengers on this plane.  It is a small plane, and the “others” on the flight are within very close proximity of me….  thoughts of them swirl about in my head….. a random sampling below:

  • The woman and child behind me…black woman maybe in her 40’s and her 2 year old girl-child.  The woman keeps telling her kid to cover her mouth when she coughs (actually, she sounds like she is hacking up a hairball).  The ironic thing about it?  The mom has the same annoying hack, and doesn’t cover her mouth.  I just want to turn around, look at the both of them, and say “lead by example” to the mother, and tell the kid “cover your mouth – do as your told, not as you see”.  I’ll consider myself lucky if I arrive home without contacting the swine flu and/or whatever the folks behind me have. 
  • The woman in front of me looks so much like a man. As a matter of fact, I didn’t know/think it was a woman until she got up and went to the bathroom and I saw breasts (small breasts, but big enough for me to know its a woman, not a man).    Seriously, she is has short hair (reminiscent of the 90’s short haircut that screams “I’m a woman in a mans world”) and the side of her face is a bit hairy…  I can clearly  see now she is a woman.. but honestly, when saw that she ordered a beer I thought for sure she was a guy.  I wonder if she has two cats……
  • There is a man a few rows ahead of me that is very tall.  He also has very long grey hair that is in a pony tail.  Even though he appears to have a lot of hair, its a very small pony tail.  I can’t help but look, which requires me to stretch my body and neck to look over the woman who looks like a man (previous bullet point).   How come no one in his circle of family and friends have told him that it isn’t a good look for him?
  • Now the kid behind me is crying… for what reason I have no idea… just because.  If I had a nickel for every time the back of my seat was kicked by a child, I would probably not need to travel for business anymore (I’d be a wealthy person).  This is why I choose not to travel AND/OR avoid travel at all costs during the holidays or in the summer. 

Finally, the plane is starting to decend… a SF weather report from the captain.. seat belt signs illuminated…  almost home!  Now I need to put the computer away before it starts interfering with the airplane radar capabilities.