I hate my job.

7:40pm

It is 7:40pm and we are still working.....will this day ever end? I have been here since 8:30am....I'm hungry and need a change of scenery! I hope this isn't a usual "day in the office" for these people.

10:30am

It is now 10:30am and the day is just getting started with my "new" team members.....Things are pretty relaxed. Hmmmm, could this be the trend for the week?

Something beautiful

I re-found this poem the other day---I think that it is beautiful and says so much with very few words. Enjoy.

“One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII”

by Pablo Neruda

I don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,

or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:

I love you as one loves certain obscure things,

secretly, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries

the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,

and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose

from the earth lives dimly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,

I love you directly without problems or pride:

I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love,

except in this form in which I am not nor are you,

so close that your hand upon my chest is mine,

so close that your eyes close with my dreams.

Translated by Mark Eisner

Pablo Neruda, “One Hundred Love Sonnets: XVII” from The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems, edited by Mark Eisner. Copyright © 2004 City Lights Books.

Visits to MN

The family in MN and WI all say hello to my friends in other states. Yes it is true, I actually spent a couple of days with my family in MN and WI. While cell phone service was a little spotty the most difficult part of the last few days has been a lack of email communication. Talk about feeling cut off! Yikes!!

But aside from the absence of emails the visit went really well. My nieces and nephews are growing like crazy and were a lot of fun to hang out with including an attempt at camping in the living room which by 3am ended with everyone back in their respective beds. I actually remember yard camping trips when I was growing up that ended the same way....those were the days.

The Paris Team with whom I am working this week appear to be nice, conversant and friendly. So here is to keeping my fingers crossed that the relationships we (the ANA audit department) have with the hotels will continue be be positive and that all our hard work will not be endangered by a lack of communication, language issues or program variances between the International program and the ANA program.

Hope that everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day Holiday and that you do something patriotic in remembrance of the reason for the Holiday.

Return of the traveling auditor

The return to the land of Texans. It is good to be home. Toronto was entertaining once the Novotel was done. I had an opportunity to revisit the land of AEL and it was good to refresh my skills and VERY nice to be able to eat out where I wanted each night, but also I have to admit that I like many of the perks of the ABL environment. So each side has its pros and cons. Very diplomatic of me isn't it! :)

I flew back to Dallas late Saturday eve, and had the joy of enjoying a nice dinner with John and Mary. They are two of the nicest people around. Considering that they really didn't know me that well before the move to Texas they have welcomed me into their family and have made me feel soooo included in their lives. Case in point - they knew that I was flying back on Saturday and when I arrived on the ground I had a voicemail inviting me to dinner. How sweet and caring is that! And they do things like that all the time!! Amazing people!

Sunday I kind of overslept and missed breakfast with the gang---the past two weeks caught up with me a little bit. But I did make it to church and then ran numerous errands, picked up some groceries so I wouldn't eat Sarah and Ryan out of home and hearth and then went back home for some serious work time. Well, the work time was semi-productive, the sitting on the swing and listening to the sounds of the neighborhood was very productive and my sanity was fully restored. It was an incredible evening. Around 8pm (ish) Sarah and Ryan arrived home with all kinds of goodies from one of our favorite wineries. We had dinner and a bottle of fabulous wine and caught up on the events of each others lives for the past two weeks.

This week is a fast paced, hectic week as I am flying out on Wednesday for Minneapolis. So there is lots to do and not much time but all in all things are going well.

Trends

Work, eat, drink, work out (a little), want another drink so I can sleep....don't have it cause I have more work to do....procrastinate. Fall asleep at midnight, don't sleep well at all. Wake up...shower in a daze cause I've been up since 3am trying to fall back asleep. Go to work. Realize I'm hated by one and all, when all I' trying to do is help. Work in isolation for hours.

Don't want to go to the restaurant for lunch cause the service is slow and the food blah (its the same menu I've been looking at for the last week, and is identical to the last four hotels of this brand I've audited)....skip lunch. Stomach is growling. No water cause Banquets hates me and doesn't refresh the room each day. Passive aggressive is the type who wins the race and takes the prize. Really hungry now. Eat the left-over Hot Tamales candy from the flight here. Too much work to do and I don't want to do it. Realize its been four days since I've been outdoors. Is this a form of torture?? If so why did I willingly sign up for it??

Goal, Goal, Goal....keep you eye on the goal. Four years....u can do anything for four years. This will cause tears of laughter when I'm 50.

Its just a job

Note to self....to be remembered at points of work inspired stress.

It is just a job. I am more than my job. While providing a paycheck (pitiful as it may be), the job is not the essence of life. There are other jobs out there--if you want them. Laugh in the face of the chaos as three weeks from now the stress of the moment will not be remembered with any of the current anxiety. If this job is so horrible, stressful, non-rewarding then get one of those other jobs out there. If I choose to stay with this current job then shut up about how bad it is and just do the work....no one wants to hear you b**ch about how awful it is. Everyone's job is awful in some area as there are no perfect jobs out there; just jobs with varying levels of awfulness.

So slap a smile on your face, imagine the stress causing individual with ketchup on their face and do the best that you can do at this moment in time. You are working towards the greater goal....a job that provides satisfaction on multiple levels, not just the monetary level.

Now repeat after me....MBA, MLS, MBA, MLS, MBA, MLS. Now get back and finish that project!

New Format

Isn't it pretty!! And oh so springy ;)

Spring in Toronto

The wandering auditor has arrived in Toronto--the land of "Eh", Hockey and Lablat beer. When I left Sherman TX it was a lovely 68 degrees and upon my arrival in Canada is was a little chillier. Spring is arriving in Toronto--please not I said arriving not arrived. The trees are showing their pale green first leaves of the season and many still are bare--worried about a late frost I'd say.

The locals are optimistic that by Friday it will be "warm" ie in the 60's and many people are already finagaling ways to call in sick on Friday.

The hotel is in the heart of Toronto Center and while some of the rooms are nice (I know cause I stayed in a nice room in January), I have been relegated to a 4x4 space which I am honored to call my own for the remainder of the week.

While there are many long days ahead of me I cannot wait to get out and explore the city....at least a little!