Yay, Em!

Kat, I'm sorry these last few months are a slog. You're definitely not a shitty person.

My job should be secure, and with my boss leaving the most likely scenario is actually temporary designation that makes me the big boss while they spend a year seeking his replacement (which should come with a bump in salary). That will not, however, stop me from applying to another position that is open in town and that would be more secure (although a federal job, so I'd have to get used to a lot less vacation and half the holidays).

But less evil, Sparky! Big bump would be sweet while looking, though!

Kat, that sounds awful. Will the holidays be helpful time off or just more stress?

I'm so sleepy--to get to my flight this morning I had to leave my cousin's house at 6AM. Mountain time which is 5AM my time. And I kept dreaming I had missed my alarm and waking up. Ugh.

Ethiopian Lions - a whole different species from those other lions.

huh, I totally thought that was a known thing. Ethiopian lions are also smaller. They have a zoo with sad sad under fed ones in the capital - we chose not to go see them, but I was told wheile prepping for the trip all about them and was sure that they were seen as a differnt type of lion.

Well, I think that it was thought that they were a sub-species.

Well bless. I just got notice that a gal I used to work with will be retiring in June. She has named me as her requested successor and it would take the 6 months between now and then to train me up to the job. I'm flattered and it would move me into a job that is unique within the company (with job security and frustration that no one knows what I do). I compared our pay and with all the experience she has, she only makes a few dollars more than I'm making now...so I don't know how much growth opportunity there would be. There would be travel involved (which could be good). For now I told her I would need more information before I could declare actual interest.

Doesn't help that I'm also meeting with my current manager to go over my performance evaluation. I expect a good review and I feel like I have lots of room to grow and learn in this job. I don't know if I should mention the job op to my manager or just keep it under my hat.

That's got to feel good, Suzi, regardless of what ends up happening!

Work is trying to kill me today.

My maqin boss, who I have been asking for over a month about things for this party on Saturday, just called and asked for 1) poster sized prints of our vision statement and 2) individual small gifts of chocolate or somthing from the host town (not here) for the 80 guests (he had previously said NO to this idea when I asked a month ago) and 3) culd I print labels or something for the small gifts that say Happy Holidays from the company.

!!! I can do all this, but I will get nothing else done today because 1) I cannot print to the plotter which will make the poster sized things, so someone else has to take the word doc or pdf and put into a program that will enlarge it but not distort it and print to the plotter. 2) research for a local chocolate place in San ANtonio and order by phone 80 of the same small box for them to hold for me to get tomorrow afternoon. 3) print labels on the color printer which I have never done .

Baking question: I made some cookies the other night, and they're pretty tasty, but a bit drier and more crumbly than I'd like. What could I add next time to give them a little more structural integrity? Main ingredients, as best I can recall: flour, oats, cocoa, baking powder, butter, maple syrup, vanilla, salt.

Eesh, msbelle.