I think I finally figured out what is bugging me so much at work... and ironically, it doesn't have anything to do with work
Month / November 2006
"Initial success or total failure"
Initial success or total failure is the motto of the EOD units in the armed forces and sums up my intentions and comittment to what I'm doing, even if I feel no support coming from above. Either you do it right the first time or why bother trying?
I guess that's part of what upsets me so much about the current situation. I want to do more and I'm held back with that, to me, sound like stupid bureaucratic crap. Granted, when looking at things from the bottom of the food chain is different than from the top but it still annoys the hell out of me.
To Distant Friends, in Memory Still Bright
Christian Garnham and family
I was reminded again of this song fragment: El tiempo pasa, nos vamos poniendo viejos. El Amor no lo recuerdo como ayer. Talking with my friend reminded me of how quickly time passes and how little we do to actually keep the things that matter alive.
So much for a 5 day weekend
I wish people would make up their minds as to what goes on where
On my way to DC and back
Leaving New York
R.E.M (Around the sun)
It's quiet now
And what it brings
Is everything
Comes calling back
A brilliant night
I'm still awake
I looked ahead
I'm sure I saw you there
You don't need me
To tell you now
That nothing can compare
You might have laughed if I told you
You might have hidden A frown
You might have succeeded in changing me
I might have been turned around
It's easier to leave than to be left behind
Leaving was never my proud
Leaving New York, never easy
I saw the light fading out
Now life is sweet
And what it brings
I tried to take
But loneliness
It wears me out
It lies in way
And all not lost
Still in my eyes
The shadow of necklace
Across your thigh
I might've lived my life in a dream, but I swear
This is real
Memory fuses and shatters like glass
Mercurial future, forget the past
It's you, it's what I feel.
You might have laughed if I told you (it's pulling me apart)
You might have hidden a frown (change)
You might have succeeded in changing me (it's pulling me apart)
I might have been turned around (change)
It's easier to leave than to be left behind (it's pulling me apart)
Leaving was never my proud (change)
Leaving New York, never easy (it's pulling me apart)
I saw the light fading out
You find it in your heart, it's pulling me apart
You find it in your heart, change...
I told you, forever
I love you, forever
I told you, I love you
I love you, forever
I told you, forever
You never, you never
You told me forever
You might have laughed if I told you
You might have hidden the frown
You might have succeeded in changing me
I might have been turned around
It's easier to leave than to be left behind (it's pulling me apart)
Leaving was never my proud (change)
Leaving New York never easy (it's pulling me apart)
I saw the life fading out (change)
Leaving New York, never easy (it's pulling me apart)
I saw the light fading out (change)
Leaving New York never easy (it's pulling me apart)
I saw the life fading out (change)
It was so akward to get up so early, and actualy get no sleep the night before. Yet it was such a beautiful trip. I did a one stop in Dallas where it was colder than hell and the flight into DC was delayed almost an hour. Made it barely on time to go get to the brewpub dinner
It was fun an incofrmative couple days with a lot of Bb folks showing us what's going on and what is about to go on.
Overcoming Perfectionism: How To Develop a Healthier Outlook
From Elizabeth Scott,
Learn to Be Perfectly Imperfect!
Are You A Perfectionist? Perfectionism can rob you of your peace of mind, enjoyment of life, and self esteem. Though it’s a process that may take a little time, shedding the burden of perfectionism can greatly decrease the level of stress you feel on a daily basis. Here are some important steps you can take to maintain a healthier attitude:
Make a Cost-Benefit Analysis: Take a closer look at your perfectionistic traits. You may think you’re more effective because of them (although according to research, this probably isn’t true), but at what cost? Perfectionism has many negative consequences, and you may be experiencing several of them right now. Make a list of all the ways perfectionism is hurting you (and those around you), and you’ll be more motivated to shed these tendencies.
Become Aware of Your Tendencies: You may not realize how pervasive perfectionism can be. By becoming more aware of your patterns, you’re in a better position to alter them. If you’re able, it’s a great idea to record your perfectionistic thoughts as they pop into your head. If it’s impractical for you to jot thoughts down as they come, it’s a great idea to go over your day each night and remember the times when you felt you’d failed, or hadn’t done well enough, and write down what you thought at the time. This will help you become more aware of perfectionistic thoughts as they come to you in the future. (You can even journal about your feelings about these thoughts, but don’t feel you’ve ‘failed’ if you don’t have time to do this!)
See the Positive: If you’re struggling with perfectionism, you probably have honed the skill of spotting mistakes in even the best works of others and of yourself. You may just naturally look for it, and notice it above all other things. While this habit may be difficult to just stop, you can soften your tendency to notice the bad by making a conscious effort to notice all that is good with your work and the achievements of others. If you notice something you don’t like about yourself or your work, for example, look for five other qualities that you do like. This will balance out your critical focus and become a positive new habit.
Alter Your Self-Talk: Those who wrestle with perfectionism tend to have a critical voice in their head telling them their work isn’t good enough, they’re not trying hard enough, and they’re not good enough. If you’re going to overcome perfectionism, you need to work on changing this little voice! Negative self talk can perpetuate unhealthy behaviors and wreak havoc on your self esteem; by altering your self talk, you can go a long way toward enjoying life more and gaining an increased appreciation for yourself and your work. These tips can help.
Take Baby Steps: Perfectionists tend to set goals of unreasonable excellence with no learning curve. These goals tend to be unrealistic and cause problems by being so rigidly demanding and leaving little room for error. Instead, you can reduce a lot of stress by changing your goals. You don’t have to sacrifice the end result, but if you set bite-sized goals for yourself and reward yourself when you achieve them, you’ll tend to be more forgiving with mistakes. For example, you may normally tackle the task of getting into better shape by working out five times a week. Unfortunately, if you’re not used to working out regularly, you may get quite sore from such a quick change, and perhaps give up. But setting the goal to exercise once or twice the first week, and add an additional workout periodically until you’ve worked up to your goal, you will more likely reach your goal, enjoying many more ‘successes’ in the process.
Enjoy the Process: You may be used to focusing on results, and beating yourself up if your results are less than perfect. One important way to recover from perfectionism is to begin focusing more on the process of reaching toward a goal, rather than just focusing on the goal itself. The previous suggestion (setting baby steps) can help you create more of an enjoyable process out of your striving. You can also enjoy the process of reaching a goal by getting involved with a group who is also trying to achieve the same goal you’re after, or journaling about how you feel and what you learn as you reach toward your goal. If you find you don’t achieve perfection, you can then reflect back and see all that you’ve gained in just working toward a worthy goal, assessing and appreciating the gains you did make in the process.
Learn to Handle Criticism: If you tend to look at criticism as an attack, reacting defensively, an attitude change can help. Constructive criticism can give you important clues on how to improve your performance, making your less-than-perfect performances into useful stepping stones that lead to excellence. If the criticism you’re receiving is pointed or harsh, it’s okay to remind others (and yourself) that mistakes are a great way to learn.
Kind of a Letdown
I finished my participation in the Blackstone LARP last Friday. It was kind of a letdown and it was powergamed although I didn't realize it at the time.
We've all been feeling a little queasy and the blood feels a little less potent and the nightmares (or is it daymares) have been keeping everyone on edge as if something was very, very wrong. A few of us knew it was something to do with the Malkavians and that stuff had happened in the east coast and all around us.
I love the relationships that developed in that game, both among the characters and the friendships developed among the players at least from my perspective. I never thought I'd be there along with Ken Gry and Theresa or that I'd drag a large number of my clanmates along with me in this adventure.
A few of us made a protection pact and then; We were ready to do whatever it was necessary to survive and we were ready to hide long enough to do it... All of a sudden, we have a cop show up; We deal with the cop, which was easy enough to do. We were just piecing together the truth of what had happened.
I talked to one of my clan sisters and she put the knowledge of what happened in character. I was scared shitless and I was just starting to come to terms with it...
Then, of course, all hell breaks loose
The usual cast of fucked up characters showed up and just about killed us. Some of us literally and some of us by forcing us to feed into others... in my case I was drained of blood and left in the same room with another member of my clan who was in torpor. I fed on him, and because he was out of blood, I diablerize him and killed him off.
I managed to avoid everyone and, since I knew that out of character I was going to be out of town, I called some of my IC friends and let them know I was not returning
I enjoyed the game tremendously. There may have been days when I was ready to quit (and I did quit for a while once) but the acquaintances and friendships I made are great. I've learned a lot about LARPing and about character development. I'm working on another character that applies the lessons learned in playing Andres. I'll post it when it is completed.
Second life at O'Reilly
Crossroads
You've got to find what you love .... Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
-- Steve Jobs
When it comes the time to think about the possitive things I've done since I last had a review make me think harder about what it is that I really want to do. I know I've outlived my happy period. I know I want a real challenge not just feel like a paper pusher who gets yelled out when other people's stress gets to them.
Update 1 (111506): The more I think about it the less appealing it is for me to stay. I will pose this question of my supervisor tomorrow: How does the cleanliness of my desk affects the performance you're evaluating. Not my professionalism, but the performance of my assigned duties?. Sure as hell, my desk looks messy... Has that stopped me from being average or above average in the performance of my duties?
Update 2 (111806): Georgia is hiring 😉 and, you know what, I don't know if I want to move or not
Must be fall/winter
Far Away
Nickelback (All the right moves)
This time, This place
Misused, Mistakes
Too long, Too late
Who was I to make you wait
Just one chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know,
you know, you know
[CHORUS]
I love you
I've loved you all along
And I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore
On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of Hell to hold your hand
I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything, but I won't give up
'Cause you know,
you know, you know
[CHORUS]
So far away
So far away
Been far away for far too long
So far away
So far away
Been far away for far too long
But you know, you know, you know
I wanted
I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed
I need to hear you say
I love you
I've loved you all along
And I forgive you
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me, never let me go
Keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me and, never let me go
Keep breathing
Hold on to me, never let me go