Grace was in the ER about 2+ weeks ago. She had her regularly scheduled surgery today. What was good was she came out of it talking immediately (well after she was fighting mad and given phenobarbital) which is good. She should be even louder now. We don't go back for surgery again until November 20. Woo hoo! A month off!

True enough, ita. I didn't count actual white supremacy. But my mom invented a handsign with the ASL "M" that we mock them with. Well, we think we're funny. (ita, your headache stuff sucks. I wish there were a real House you could go to.

I know! It drives me nuts. Most organizations (or large and/or corporate organizations) don't seem to acknowledge that some people don't want to manage, some people get to a point where they're content where they are, and some people do not have a burning desire to do anything except do a good job and then GO HOME.

Amen.

There's a necessary place in the world for Sergeants, who know the job, who can teach the job, who can help new officers--and old, smart officers--figure out what can and can't be done.

It's weird, but law firms are different in that regard, at least for support staff--I've always made it clear I don't want to be a manager, and no one has questioned that, and instead the focus has been how well I do as support staff.

at least for support staff

Of Counsel, too, for Associates who don't want to become Partners.

One of the reasons I left the consulting firm I was at, was that I got promoted into project management to the point where I was spending all my time doing that rather than technical work. I don't mind some PM work: I'm good with spreadsheets and gantt charts and proposals--but managing teams of subcontractors and multiple conflicting clients was making me completely stressed out and miserable.

I'm SO MUCH HAPPIER now, in the only middling-competent world of the federal government. Which doesn't mean I'm not ambitious: I would love to take my program to a national level, because I know I could do a good job with it. But I can't figure out how to sell that to anyone because the organization is so messed up.

Wow problem fundamental to organizations. It is interesting the law firms of all people have found a way to plug in people who don't want to be promoted, though I understand they have other problems. Anyone ever run into an organization that was best of both worlds - especially a large one?

At my first job in California, they had a technical path that went up through architect and stuff like that to a salary level equivalent to the lowest of the VP bracket, and also a management path. Not many people went up through architect, but I sure did. I managed people in Michigan, and although that was clearly stunningly toxic, no. I wasn't bad at it, and some of the rewards--warm and fuzzy. But in the end, not the thing for me.

At this company? They don't have such clear structure. There were many things wrong with that first company (I apologise again to America), but they were good with documenting some things--document requirements and templates, and job descriptions and hierarchies. I knew exactly what to expect if I didn't make any changes in my job path, and where I could change to if I wanted to. If I tried to find that info here, it would look like I was fishing for a job, rather than learning about what we look like.

Finally out of the ER. Tired. Not ready for work tomorrow. Still have a car I don't believe works. Didn't have the heart to try today, but I assume it's still dead. Do I work from home and try and do something about it tomorrow? Or do I rent a car, and delay fixing shit until my second day back, since I have a week to catch up on in an important project. Vitally important.

Hmmph.

Typo,

academe.