I'm so sorry you're struggling, Gud.

Speaking for myself, I HATE knowing anything about anyone's salary. I absolutely do not want to know what my peers make, what my stakeholders make etc. No good can come of that.

[With the caveat that I don't have any reason to suspect, and what I do know does not indicate any kind of systematic imbalance, which is the most compelling reason to have visibility for salary info.]

I do know what my direct reports make, of course, and only recently have I been able to know what the range is for those roles, because I'm hiring for same/similar positions. So I know I have a person who is wildly overpaid, and another wildly underpaid. Which really has to do with when they came on and who hired them, but it drives me bonkers and it's not something I can do much to fix.

So turns out everyone lied to us about the weather in England. It's been sunny nearly every day, and yesterday was completely cloudless. Today we finally got actual English mist, although I might still have got a sunburn.

Already a bit tired of English pub food, but tonight we get Indian, and the beer and tea have both been good. Plus, scones!

No injuries yet beyond a few blisters, and we only got chased out of a field by cows once. Excelsior!

Pictures, such as they are, are, will be forthcoming.

Mwah! I go poof.

I'm sorry Gud. I know the feeling, and I get how struggling so hard all the time starts to feel like you're failing, but I know you are not. Great dad, hard working, just overstressed.

I had to disclose my salary recently to one of my colleagues, and I admit it was easier knowing that we were payed roughly the same. But knowing that some of the more recent hires are getting payed more than me rankles, unless I can see how their role as X, Y or Z in the department justifies it.

I think the culture against sharing salary in the US comes out of a bunch of different factors that all create sort of a noxious brew. First it's the knowing that your value as a person and your power is fairly directly tied to your income. Second, there are lots of laws regulating pay accountability, and every single employer is busy trying to work around those laws, so dissuading people from sharing salary info is to their advantage. Third, most people fear getting fired.

[With the caveat that I don't have any reason to suspect, and what I do know does not indicate any kind of systematic imbalance, which is the most compelling reason to have visibility for salary info.]

Yeah, that's why The Man doesn't want you to know! Specifically because men make more.

I'm glad to have seen my reports in a list, because one of them is due an off-cycle salary review, and I didn't realize she's paid a little less than her counterpart, so I can certainly up her that much!

Indian food in England is a whole other cuisine and so damn good! Enjoy it, Consuela

Indian food in England is a whole other cuisine and so damn good! Enjoy it, Consuela

What Burrell said. We got tired of pub food after a while too, although the meat pies were quite good, there is only so much of that we could eat.

I have had enough of today.

ETAdetail: it's been like a Monday turned up to 11, which does not seem fair when I worked yesterday. But everyone who didn't is coming with their questions they couldn't ask over the weekend and it is too much.

The Utah State Fair is coming up. I love fairs, but going without Hubby is painful. I'm debating whether I'm up to going by myself this year, or I'll need to wait another year. I should drop comments among the people I do like around here to see their opinions about state fairs. I'm sure someone would be willing to go if I asked, but I don't want to drag someone around who's primarily doing it to be nice to the widow. I want someone who can stand in the animal barns and make lewd jokes about livestock.

On the plus side, I got a really nice charred flavor on my steak by searing it in a cast iron pan. Unfortunately, I forgot to put any oil and vinegar on my lettuce so my lunch is less than perfect.

So sorry Gud, it is a bad place to be, but you will get to the other side