Just do your job

The past two weekends at work I've come up with a new motto for work.  It is simple.

Just do your job.

That is it.  I don't care to get Facebook messages from an ill co-worker who as home and thinking about how I do my job.  Your not my supervisor and I'm not at work.  Do your job, let me do mine.  If you really have the dying need to comment about the subject, please do it in an appropriate manner.  At work.  I know co-workers might have a lot going on in their personal lives.  But if you are going to be two hours late to work, a phone call saying you will be late would be nice.  I would consider this part of your job.  If you are at work and are told something needs to be done.  Just do it.  I don't really care that someone else "should" be there and doing this particular task already, they aren't and it needs to be done.  Complaining is not going to help, just do your job (because it is really part of your job as well).  And I really don't want to hear about the personal disagreements between co-workers slowing me down from doing my job.  And I really don't like a phone call from my supervisor the next afternoon that lasts for 30 minutes telling me that I did the right thing and if it were to happen again I should do the same thing.  Yeah, thanks.  I really have no interest in you telling me that for 30 minutes, particularly when I'm at home trying to listen to Pyrope talk about his day at school, cook dinner, and make sure Obsidian doesn't get into anything he should be because I'm focusing too much on the phone conversation, Pyrope, and dinner.  Nor do I care to get a phone call at 8 am the next day from a co-worker telling me that my supervisor might be calling me to go over once again what happened on the weekend.  Do NOT care.  If you are sick, then take time off and go home.  I don't care if you want to use your PTO for vacation not sick time.  If you are well enough to be at work, do your job, and all of it.  Don't do part of it, then leave the part you had the time and could have done, but just didn't feel like doing for me to do.  And if you do leave it for me to do, please be clear about what I need to do, so I don't have to waste my time to figure out what parts of your job you didn't do, so I can complete them.  All of this boils down to:

Just do your job.

Thanks.  It makes mine a lot easier.

Note: I really do understand that my department is going through a huge period of change and this is stressing out many people.  But it would be so much nicer for everyone if everyone just attempted to do their own jobs!  Just saying.

New tools

A month after Face.book allowed people with non-college email addresses to join, I joined.  I did this mainly because my sister was on it, and it was the easiest way to be in contact with her.  There was no one my age on it.  The feel of it was very different.  Very young.  As it has gone "mainstream", I've watched it evolve.  When there is a new series of changes, I somewhat chuckle at the posts that rail against the "new Face.book" that want the "old" one back (when the reality of it the "old" FB was "new" in a rememberable past).  Some of the changes work, some don't.  I've watched it go from an amusing way to interacting with my sister and a handful of other people that I knew that were in college and on it, to a major way I get everything from news to communicating with the majority of people I know from many aspects of my life.  I have "friends" that were friends from childhood, high school, college, different points of my work life, and family.  I have purposely never mixed current work with FB.  I might make an occasionally comment that if you know me well enough, you know I'm referring to work, but I never directly comment.  I don't have my employer listed.  I don't write messages to co-workers about work issues.  I use my work email for that.  I'm amazed at how I look at FB and Twitt.er has effected the world around me.  I look at how they are used overseas, in particular, but here as well to organize movements in a way that was previously impossible to do.

Recently, I got a message on FB the contents basically said that a co-worker was home sick and she was thinking about how I document at work and told me that I should do it a different way.  I was annoyed on many sides.  I decided to keep my "do not mix work onto FB" rule, and ignored it altogether.  But it got me thinking about the appropriate and inappropriate use of social media.  I know a couple people personally that have been fired over things they have done in social media that was mixing work with the media.  I know a countless number of people that have been reprimanded of how they have used social media and how it ties in with work.

I have also got to thinking about the etiquette that social media requires.  Jet has recently got his own account, and finds it confusing at times.  He doesn't pick up on social rules easily, and he finds it all mind boggling at times.

I ask myself what are the "rules" and how did I or others learn them?  Do the rules change in the light of particular situations?  How are these new tools going to continue to evolve and effect my life?  What role is going to play in my kids lives?

I guess it is something that I will just continue to watch, participate, and learn as it continues to grow and mature.

Thankful Thursday

• We got a small taste of spring this week.  Last week, the high was around 15 F if it was a warm day.  Yesterday it was 51 F.
• The school psychologist who comes to Pyrope's class a couple times a month said he had a really good day when she saw him this week.
• Wii fitness games.  Getting to the rec center as much as I need to doesn't happen.  I get bored with DVDs.  I will do Wii fitness games (I have a couple of different ones), the competitive nature helps me along (even if it is just against myself).
• That I'm pretty much a person that can roll with the punches.  It takes quite a bit to really get me frazzled.  This was particularly useful this week at work
• Finding a couple of books that I have really enjoyed.  It makes me want a No.ok or Kin.dle or something.  Our library still doesn't have a huge selection of eBooks, and I really am not a "buy books" kind of person, definitely a library gal.
• Copies medical records of Obsidian's made it from where they are to where they needed to go.  One on the first try, one on just the second (which is really amazing that that particular one only took 2 requests)
• That beef slow cooked with dill pickles really does come out good (I discarded the pickles, cut up the roast, put barbecue sauce on it, stuck it back in the cooker, then it made some mean sandwiches).  Particularly grateful it turned out well because I did it for the first time on a night we had guests over for dinner (I figure, there is always pizza if it was a colossal fail, but everyone liked it)
• Spell check.  I'm a horrible speller, and if I didn't have it, my writing would not be nearly what it is.  First off I would purposely use smaller words versus the ones I really want to use.  Second, I would still have lots of spelling mistakes.

Wordless Wednesday

Wishing

 In May 2009, I flew to southern Florida by myself with the boys.  I rented a car (which turned into being a minivan), and took my kids to see my dad's best friend from childhood and his wife (who is my godmother).  Jet joined us later on when we drove up to see his family.  These are not people I know well, mainly because we live over 1,000 miles away.  My dad's best friend had cancer.  I wanted for him and my godmother to have a chance to see my boys, or rather my dad's grandsons.

In the two days we visited, most of their grandchildren came over, 5 of their grandsons to be specific.  Some of them are older (tweens and early teens) and two were exactly my boys age.  At one point, the adults were sitting on the deck, and all of the kids were playing in the pool.  They were having a grand time.  I missed my dad sharply at that point, as I know how much it would have meant to him to see it.  And I silently raged that they didn't have the health to be in the pool with the boys, for at least part of the time.  Even at that point, my dad's best friend didn't have the energy to do much, and what he did was spent interacting and doing what he could with the grandchildren.  Much as my dad's decline was spent.  I was also grateful that I decided to make the trip.  It was needed.  My godmother asked me in quiet moments how my mom was adjusting to be a widow.  There was more to than concern for my mom.  Almost trying to glean a glimpse into her future.

On Saturday, he passed away.  I didn't find out until late Sunday night.  It deeply saddened me.  Much more so than some else that I causally know would cause.  He passed away at home quietly and peacefully, surrounded by his family.  Very similar to how my dad passed.

I had been thinking of going back, for another visit.  Initially I thought I was too late.  But maybe I'm not really.  As my godmother and I and the other adults that would be around would be able to remember, and watch.

Sleeping

This past November, it has been 5 years since I slept through the night.  While I'm pregnant, my doctors don't like when I go more than 5 hours without eating, preferable 4.  Neither Pyrope or Obsidian is great at sleeping through the night.  I don't think Pyrope has done it yet.  Obsidian does sometimes, but not lately.  I would love to sleep through the night, but I don't think I could at this point even given the opportunity.  I would love to try.  Some mornings, I remind myself how short this season will be in my life.  This morning, it doesn't feel so short.

Thankful Thursday

• The improvements we've seen in Obsidian.  His energy is improving, it is much closer to other kids his age.  It isn't there yet, but it is closer.  And he jumped for the first time this week.  He has desperately wanted to be able to jump for 9 months.  He has tried daily.  And this week he did it.
• For supportive co-workers.  We were behind the 8 ball this weekend, and everyone worked together (as we should), and things worked out well.  Or as well as possible.
• Finding a good gluten free bread.  And the tasty grilled cheese sandwiches I made with it.
• For being covered in smooches.  Sometimes for no reason that I can figure out.  Maybe there is a reason, maybe not.  I'll take them.
• Thick, warm, dry socks.
• Steamy hot showers.
• Going shopping alone.