Still Working (But No Commute Today!)

So Bailey and I settled in to get some work done early (toooo early!) this morning, cozy on the couch with good music, a fluffy down throw, a cup of coffee, and my yummy new robe. Well, we (we... ha!) did both work and play -- I'm still trying to figure out iPhoto, and how to organize my 11,000+ photos.

I'm waking up at 4 and 5 AM these days -- even on weekends -- partly because my body is now accustomed to waking up at that time, and partly because my mind is continuously going a mile a minute. One of these days I'll relax into this job, but right now I still have a to-do list a mile long and I'm still trying to prove myself... and constantly afraid that I'm coming up short.

The learning curve for this position has been incredibly steep AND I'm working with (and hiring) brilliance, so there's lots of room for insecurity. I'm heartened when I think back on some of the most successful people I've known in my career reminding me that they're constantly worried that they'll be "found out" -- that they actually don't know everything that everyone thinks they know! I think that a little insecurity is good because it wards off the cockiness that I can't stand -- the "I know everything, but you're just a learner" attitude. I never want to manage with that attitude. I think one of the reasons that D was such a great manager is because she started years ago at the bottom of the ladder and worked her way up -- so she always remembers what it's like to be "the worker," and I think her heartfelt regular positive feedback and explicit appreciation came from that perspective. I still crave a "good job" now and then and I constantly wonder if I'm meeting expectations. I must remember that as I manage others. The need for positive feedback from higher-ups never goes away, no matter how "high-up" one goes.

I Found a Lump

...back in December, while in Hawaii. It seemed to have appeared overnight and to be honest, it scared me. Of course, my first inclination was to see a doctor immediately upon returning, but with the holidays and the snow days, it was January before I had a chance to get to it. And then I started a crazy work schedule... and my new insurance wouldn't kick in until February first... and I didn't want to dive into a deductible for insurance I'd never use (Tom's, under which I was covered between Microsoft and this new job)... and...

And I came up with just about every excuse not to make an appointment. Until I did. Because one can't very well work in health education and advocacy and not advocate for one's own health. So my appointment was this morning and I'm relived to say that the lump was (is!) a huge fluid-filled cyst. Or rather, yet another fluid-filled cyst. Seems I'm prone to them. (How many of you now know more about me than you ever cared to know?!) But with Mom's history and death from ovarian cancer -- which is linked to breast cancer -- I'm hyper-vigilant.

The doctor was surprised that the cyst was so large and we both decided that there's no reason to have it aspirated because it will eventually disappear -- only to be replaced, I'm sure, by another. (Plus, my bra size would apparently shrink substantially if I were to have the dang thing drained!)

So... carry on! :-)

Growl and Roar!

To my children (yes, you... especially you two 17-year-olds):

This is the amount of towels you go through in a week. You know how I ask that you use a towel and then hang it up again? You know how you don't... and it ends up in your room, on your floor for a week (or more)? Well, THIS is one week's worth of that miserable, expensive, time-consuming cycle. And this just might be the last you see of all these nice, clean, dry towels for a while... because if I hide all but maybe four of them, you'll have to be resourceful and figure out a way to have a towel available for your showers... something like... oh -- hanging them up again after using them!!

The Work/Play Balance.

Today was a wonderful combintation of work and play -- both with present staff and with staff from the non-profit health education organization where I worked from 2001 until earlier this year (before working at Microsoft).

Here is our entire current staff, two of whom celebrated a birthday yesterday! I had decorated the office for them and we shot this photo just before taking down some of the decorations. By next week at this time there will be five of us, and by the next week there will likely be six or more... so these relatively quiet days are numbered.

For lunch today, I joined some ex-cohorts, all of who now work downtown, for a Thai lunch. There are a few more "downtown people" who couldn't make it today, so we're gonna try to get together for lunch once a month or so and reminisce about the good ol' days before our beloved former organization began sinking into the depths of non-profit direction-less oblivion.

After work I met my former boss/current dear friend for a drink since she couldn't make it to lunch. She's the new CEO for a local web-based company and she's as overwhelmed as I am with the new respnsibilities. Even though she's no longer my boss, I think she'll always be my mentor and friend. And damn -- I forgot to get a picture of us with our glass of wine and "lemondrop" cocktail! That would have been fun! Oh well... next time.

I'm still posting blog entires on my PC laptop (although I am "becoming assimilated" to the Mac, as my co-workers predicted I would), because I haven't had time to really figure out iPhoto yet. This weekend I must remember to explore that program!

Off to bed. Eyes are closing...

Breathing

What a great day! Today everything came together and it felt really smooth. I made an offer to my two top choices for two important positions and both accepted! Now I'm into territory I know and love -- team-building, collaboration, and mutual goal-setting. Sounds like corporate gobbledygook, but I mean it in a way that's far from the trite jargon. I am so excited to work with both the women I hired today! They'll both start next Monday, bringing our office up to a whopping FIVE people! We're still deep into interviewing, though, with four key positions yet to fill soon and a few still after that.

I was the only one in my office who DIDN'T celebrate a birthday today! Yup, both my co-workers share a birthday today, though they're three years apart. Eva and I drove into Seattle yesterday and decorated the office, so both were greeted by plenty of birthday hoopla. And as it turns out (because my boss' friend had to cancel a b-day dinner celebration and E and I had decided to get together after her weekend in LA), my boss, my daughter and I went to Buca di Beppo's for dinner tonight and had an absolutely wonderful time! Those two are WAAAAY alike -- which is quite entertaining for me! My boss already feels like a great friend and I really enjoy his company, his mentoring and his support. Plus, he's hilarious and keeps me laughing!

Three Seasons in One!

Every once in a while, Seattle gets to enjoy a clear, crisp, sunny winter day. Today is one of those days, and after the months we've had, people are out in droves enjoying the sunshine, the blue skies and the crisp, clean beauty of a quintessential Pacific Northwest late winter day.

I encountered this leaf early this morning as I walked up the steep hill to Eva's house to pick her up for breakfast. I was walking because the road was icy and after a winter like ours, I didn't want to chance damage to the car. Ice crystals were clinging to the leaf which had persistently stuck around since fall, yet the sun was shining on it as well. It was a very cool sight -- sort of fall, winter and spring all wrapped into one!

And Now I Can't Slow Down!

Since I started my new job on January 2nd, I've been in a constant state of hyper-focus. I've been on the go both physically and mentally since the first hour of the first day on the job. When I jump into something big like this I tend to throw my entire being into it. A few years ago, when I was producing FUEL and CHILL, it was the same thing. I lived and breathed that job and that production -- and I loved it. Same thing now. I absolutely LOVE this job, but it takes 110% of my focus, my energy and my brain and I'm in a constant state of BOTH exhileration and exhaustion. And actually, I'm fine with that because it's when I focus like this that I do my best work. I completely believe in the mission of this work -- high school reform in America -- and I'm so excited about the team we're building and the work we're doing, that I absolutely can't shut off my brain, even at night! I've been working long into the evenings, then dreaming abut work, and popping out of bed the next morning to drive into the office (a 45 - 60 minute commute) before the sun rises... and stay till long after it sets.

Fortunately, the timing is good as far as the family is concerned. Elisabeth is concentrating on her career too, though she lives only 3 miles from my office, so we have plenty of opportunity to get together. Peter and Danelle are really busy with school and only come around (usually for dinner) once or twice a week. And Aleks and Kat each found someone special in the past faw months and are both completely twitterpated, so they've hardly noticed my increased absense. And Tom... well, we've actually had what seems like more time together -- possibly because we've often been meeting for dinner after work. Maybe all this will make the transition to empty-nest a bit easier...

I have felt guilty that I haven't had a chance to see Eva, the German foreign exchange student for who I'm a liaison, since Christmas. So tomorrow I'll take her out for breakfast and we'll have a chance to catch up on events. She's a hoot! And tomorrow afternoon I need to make reservations for Aleks' trip to both Germany this summer and to Washington DC to visit colleges this srping. And Kat wants to go on a California college hunting trip. I'll find a way to make it all happen. Not sure how, but I will.

New Artwork

If I'm gonna be spending this much time in this office, I'm determined to make it feel cozy, relaxing (to the extent possible) and attractive.

The view helps a lot, but I wanted to instill a separate mood as well. I found these watercolor prints last night and fell in love with them!

Tom reminded me that I don't even like boats... which is actually not the case. I don't like boats with MOTORS in them. Motors that can crack and break and cost a fortune to repair! But I love peaceful, QUIET boats!

(Yes, our boat is still for sale, and we'll start advertising it again once the temperature surpasses 45 degrees and the sun is more than a fleeting and momentary visitor...)