I remember one year where I rescued a multi-million dollar project by finding and implementing an essentially free fix that no one else in the company could figure out. The project wasn't even mine, and I had the people on it practically offering me their firstborns out of gratitude. I got "met expectations" in my review a couple of weeks later. A month after that I was laid off, so perhaps they figured, "exceeded expectations to a phenomenal degree" would have looked weird on my final review. I found out later that the least competent person in the company—possibly the least competent person I've ever worked with—was promoted to manager soon after I left. So it's just as well I'm out of there.

I actually don't really care about the money in annual reviews. For one thing, the majority of places I've worked don't really have much to go around anyway. You do well, you get like a 2% raise. Woot? I am much more interested in the process of setting goals that are meaningful to me and working towards them, which is basically impossible in my current workplace, since it is hilariously top-down, we're not allowed to do anything, and anything that happens we're told as it happens and we just have to roll with it. Our goals are basically "roll with whatever shit happens this year."

Do most of you actually care about the ratings? I always say to myself that "everything is made up and the points don't matter." I know whether I'm doing a good job or not. (But I've also never had a hostile boss situation, so.)

Part of me cares about ratings, the part of me that expects to get fired at any second no matter the 99.1% and the glowing customer reviews that come in. School was hard on my psyche. The good never counts, only the bad has relevance.

Roads started looking a little slushy around 1, so I went home to work. Was a little dicey. Work called admin leave @1:30. And then a pipe burst over coworkers' office; their desks & monitors are toast. Some folks still in the building emptied what they could from the office.

By 5 when I went to swim, hard surfaces were just wet, but since then, gotten slushy again with a mix of snow, rain, ice pellets. About an inch of that combo on the deck. Round 2 coming up tomorrow- additional 4-11". Uhg. I'll be working from home & hoping the y opens (closed 2 hrs early, @8, cancelled all programmed activities for tomorrow.) But neighborhood wine night is still on!

And cramps are starting.

We have snow on the way overnight, so I made lasagna in the crockpot. Super tasty.

Stay safe and warm, peoples.

I have too many complicated thoughts about reviews to sum up. Maybe if I sleep on it I can say something coherent about it tomorrow.

I ordered lightweight windbreaker pants off Amazon to have something I could wad up small and stuff into my gym bag so not having sweats with me won't keep me from going to the gym. They turned out to be some kind of topological puzzle. I suppose I could return them, but the solution is so tantalizing.

which is basically impossible in my current workplace, since it is hilariously top-down, we're not allowed to do anything, and anything that happens we're told as it happens and we just have to roll with it. Our goals are basically "roll with whatever shit happens this year."

I did not know you were my coworker, flea!

You guys, everytime you've gotten snow this winter, my city has gotten a little snow, but mostly rain. Tomorrow is the same forecast, it's supposed to start as snow, but then the temps are rising to 6 C and it will be a rainstorm. There's only been one school snow day since Xmas. I don't love snow, but this is freaking me out a little.

It's finally started to snow! I'm excited, mainly because I don't have to go anywhere.

I hate self-evaluations, I hate goals and goal-setting, I hate corporate reviews, I despise the whole goddam made-up arbitrary pointless process so much. This year, on top of constantly doing other people's work as well as keeping my own work on schedule, I have to "contribute meaningfully" to this bullshit and "participate with engagement" in that bullshit, AND do a report on our foundation's work in Africa. That last was my choice, made only because I had to do something for a fucking "stretch" goal, and at least it's interesting. but none of this has anything to do with my actual job.

tl;dr corporations suck

I hate self-evaluations, I hate goals and goal-setting, I hate corporate reviews, I despise the whole goddam made-up arbitrary pointless process so much.

I know those feels. I know those feels so much.

One of these review periods, I'm going to finally follow through on the threat I've made since I started in the tech industry and list "Stop trying to kill my coworkers with my brain" as one of my goals.

Breathing a sigh of relief for Austin, while worrying about peeps in CA and a huge swatch of the northeast. Weather, man.