So work has been very stressful lately for a number of reasons. They involve staff issues, community partner issues, auditors, and funders. That would be pretty much everyone, does it not?
However -- I have a plan! After a sleepless night where issues and possible solutions ran around my head, I finally got up at 5am to write down my to-do list of solutions. Ah, feel so much better now.
I will have to 'fess up to Major Funder about my mistake, no way to avoid it, but I feel like it's no longer the end of the world because I have a solution that will get us back on track and still allow us to reach our client goals. Because client outcomes is really what matters, right? Right? Right.
Plus, I have come up with a way to get on track with Complaining Employee. It's clear that what she thinks of as leadership and what I think of as leadership are different. As part of our leadership program, we have an exercise that discusses the 8 kinds of leadership. I will ask her to pick the one that fits her definition of leadership and what kind of leadership she thinks I am using and see if we can't come to some kind of understanding.
As part of our board's strategic planning, they decided to really ramp up our leadership program, which Complaining Employee is responsible for, using my definition of leadership. This is sending her the signal that hey, this is the direction this whole organization (not just me) is going and she better get with the program or this unhappy situation will just continue.
The only flaw with my solution? It relies heavily on a Knowledgable Community Partner who is pulling out of the program because she has a new job that takes her out of town often, and is also scheduled for surgery.
However -- I have options for that too! Knowledgable Community Partner is not the only one in our city of 5 million people who have this knowledge. And I have contacts to at least 5 other sources of such knowledge. So, we're moving ahead, we still have ways of reaching those client outcomes.
As I lay in bed, listening to my heart pounding in my ears, and feeling the throbbing in my wrists from the knitting (danger, danger -- also possibly psychosomatic like the nausea and headache?), I thought about my pottery. Of the pieces that I have yet to carve with surface decoration. Of my favorite new glaze, dark transparent green, that really highlights carved decorations. Of the bonsai pot I'm making of Husband. Of the method I will use to remoisten a bone dry vase in order to patch the hole I poked in the bottom (see -- things are fixable!). Of the peace I feel when concentrating on centering and pulling clay on the wheel. And I felt myself relax.
As much as I'd like to dodge responsibility for this mess, I thought about Janet Reno saying the buck stops with her, as she took responsibility for the Waco disaster. My situation is nowhere near as bad as Waco. No one died, the worst thing will be having to return some money. Actually the absolute worst thing will be having the funding pulled, but I have a solution! That has to count for something!
Fortunately, I know I have my board's support. Plus on Friday, I was honored at another organization's luncheon for all that I've done for women's rights. No one said this would be easy, all the time, and this is just one of those times.
And I have solutions! Moving on!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Sotto Sotto
Tonight Husband and I went to Sotto Sotto restaurant to celebrate.
But first, we stopping at Knitch where I bought a skein of Malabrigo in Ocean and the book Knitted Toys: 25 Fresh & Fabulous Designs by Zoe Mellor. I had store credit just burning a whole in my pocket.
Sotto Sotto is in Inman Park, Atlanta's first suburb, at the outer limit of the trolley car line. Tells you how far back that was. It's full of grand old Victorian houses, some antebellem mansions, and just nice big houses. When we first moved to Atlanta 13 years ago, Inman Park had fallen into hard times but now in the past 5 years, it's coming back up. Sotto Sotto's in a part that has new restaurants and condos and is really been part of the intown revitalization. Now with the subprime mortgage bust, I don't know how the area will be affected but it was really nice to visit.
Husband and I have been talking about moving to a condo and maybe we'll consider Inman Park now too.
Anyway, dinner was great. We had a bottle of merlot, and started with an antipasto plate with hams, cheeses, olives, and marinated mushrooms, and a plate of tuna carpaccio. Yum. As Husband ate the olives, he arranged the pits into a smiley face on the bread plate. We talked about how 16 years ago, we went to McDonald's and somehow he got a hold of a Ronald McDonald's puppet and tore a hole in the puppet to make Ronald a bit more anatomically correct with his finger. And he also picked out 2 bits of the bun to make his burger a puppet too. Husband would make a great dad.
Anyway, for dinner, Husband got the pasta with balsamic vinegar and I got spagetti with seafood. Both were very good. For dessert we got Pan di Spagna, which was a little round of vanilla pound cake (smaller than a cupcake) with whipped cream and roasted plums. All in all, a great dinner.
We also reminisced about past anniversaries. Last year we went to Miami and Key West. The year before, to Sedona, Taos, Santa Fe. Maybe next year we'll go somewhere too, but this year, work has been stressful and hectic, plus we're saving for me to buy a new(er) car.
And now, the Malabrigo is calling me. So soft! I plan to make Argosy out of it. But when that will happen, I don't know.
But first, we stopping at Knitch where I bought a skein of Malabrigo in Ocean and the book Knitted Toys: 25 Fresh & Fabulous Designs by Zoe Mellor. I had store credit just burning a whole in my pocket.
Sotto Sotto is in Inman Park, Atlanta's first suburb, at the outer limit of the trolley car line. Tells you how far back that was. It's full of grand old Victorian houses, some antebellem mansions, and just nice big houses. When we first moved to Atlanta 13 years ago, Inman Park had fallen into hard times but now in the past 5 years, it's coming back up. Sotto Sotto's in a part that has new restaurants and condos and is really been part of the intown revitalization. Now with the subprime mortgage bust, I don't know how the area will be affected but it was really nice to visit.
Husband and I have been talking about moving to a condo and maybe we'll consider Inman Park now too.
Anyway, dinner was great. We had a bottle of merlot, and started with an antipasto plate with hams, cheeses, olives, and marinated mushrooms, and a plate of tuna carpaccio. Yum. As Husband ate the olives, he arranged the pits into a smiley face on the bread plate. We talked about how 16 years ago, we went to McDonald's and somehow he got a hold of a Ronald McDonald's puppet and tore a hole in the puppet to make Ronald a bit more anatomically correct with his finger. And he also picked out 2 bits of the bun to make his burger a puppet too. Husband would make a great dad.
Anyway, for dinner, Husband got the pasta with balsamic vinegar and I got spagetti with seafood. Both were very good. For dessert we got Pan di Spagna, which was a little round of vanilla pound cake (smaller than a cupcake) with whipped cream and roasted plums. All in all, a great dinner.
We also reminisced about past anniversaries. Last year we went to Miami and Key West. The year before, to Sedona, Taos, Santa Fe. Maybe next year we'll go somewhere too, but this year, work has been stressful and hectic, plus we're saving for me to buy a new(er) car.
And now, the Malabrigo is calling me. So soft! I plan to make Argosy out of it. But when that will happen, I don't know.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
8th Anniversary
Today marks 8 years of marriage to the most wonderful man in the world.
However, we have actually been together for 16. 5 years. We were juniors in college, met at a party, and have been together ever since.
He's the best part of my life.
However, we have actually been together for 16. 5 years. We were juniors in college, met at a party, and have been together ever since.
He's the best part of my life.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Dumbledore is gay
Here's the transcript to the JK Rowling talk where she answers people's questions, including if Dumbledore ever found love. The answer: yes, with Grindewald.
http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/10/20/j-k-rowling-at-carnegie-hall-reveals-dumbledore-is-gay-neville-marries-hannah-abbott-and-scores-more
As JKR said herself, this'll be one more thing for the Christians to get all upset about. The rest of us will just take it in stride.
Now I really have to re-read the books.
http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/10/20/j-k-rowling-at-carnegie-hall-reveals-dumbledore-is-gay-neville-marries-hannah-abbott-and-scores-more
As JKR said herself, this'll be one more thing for the Christians to get all upset about. The rest of us will just take it in stride.
Now I really have to re-read the books.
Yay! It's raining!
So happy. In the SouthEast US, we are experiencing some awful drought. Total outdoor watering in half of Georgia. Lake levels extremely low. And so on.
But now it's raining! We won't get even one inch, probably, and we're deficit about 20 inches, but still, so good to have the rain.
We've been using a bucket in the shower to catch grey water and using that to water the outdoor plants. It's so dry, that if I water to fast, the water rolls right off the top, down the sides and out the bottom of the pot. The soil is so dry it won't absorb and the water's just wasted. But if it drizzles all day, then the soil should finally moisten up and be able to absorb the water.
In other news, I think I may have caught Husband's cold. Feeling sluggish and the overcast weather isn't helping. But I must power through today. Have the Kaffe Fassett lecture tonight next door!
But now it's raining! We won't get even one inch, probably, and we're deficit about 20 inches, but still, so good to have the rain.
We've been using a bucket in the shower to catch grey water and using that to water the outdoor plants. It's so dry, that if I water to fast, the water rolls right off the top, down the sides and out the bottom of the pot. The soil is so dry it won't absorb and the water's just wasted. But if it drizzles all day, then the soil should finally moisten up and be able to absorb the water.
In other news, I think I may have caught Husband's cold. Feeling sluggish and the overcast weather isn't helping. But I must power through today. Have the Kaffe Fassett lecture tonight next door!
Second Asian American Governor elected
Bobby Jindal, Republican, won the governorship in Louisiana this weekend. The son of Indian immigrants, the news keeps saying he's the first ever non-white governor of Louisiana.
What I think is more significant is that he's only the second Asian-American elected governor, after Gary Locke, Democrat,of Washington state. According to Wikipedia, however, when Locke (of Chinese descent) was selected to rebut GWBush's speech one year, he was brought to national attention and started getting anti-Asian hate mail. Nice. We've come a long way in some aspects, but not others, clearly.
On the one hand, I'm always happy to see an Asian-American gain state-wide elected office, especially in conservative areas. It's an indicator that Asian-Americans are gaining ground in acceptance.
On the other hand, Jindal's a conservative, supports "intelligent design" instead of evolution, and wants to use the free-market to fix the health care crisis. These are things I don't support, and if I lived in LA, these policy platforms would prevent me from voting for Jindal, as much as I'd like to support another Asian-American.
What I think is more significant is that he's only the second Asian-American elected governor, after Gary Locke, Democrat,of Washington state. According to Wikipedia, however, when Locke (of Chinese descent) was selected to rebut GWBush's speech one year, he was brought to national attention and started getting anti-Asian hate mail. Nice. We've come a long way in some aspects, but not others, clearly.
On the one hand, I'm always happy to see an Asian-American gain state-wide elected office, especially in conservative areas. It's an indicator that Asian-Americans are gaining ground in acceptance.
On the other hand, Jindal's a conservative, supports "intelligent design" instead of evolution, and wants to use the free-market to fix the health care crisis. These are things I don't support, and if I lived in LA, these policy platforms would prevent me from voting for Jindal, as much as I'd like to support another Asian-American.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Kaffe Fassett's in town
Tomorrow night I'm going to hear Kaffe Fassett do a lecture on using color. It's sponsored by Intown Quilters. They recently moved but I haven't been to their new location. Probably just as well, as I already have a quilt fabric stash that does not need to grow.
All of Fassett's stuff uses a ton of color, many that I never would think of using together. One of his mottos is "If you're not sure what color to use, add 20 more!" or something like that. I have several of his quilting and knitting books (Kaffe Fassett's Kaleidoscope of Quilt's, Glorious Patchwork, Family Album, and Kaffe Fassett's Pattern Library) and will take them for him to sign. Conveniently, the lecture will be held at an office park right next to where I work.
On Wednesday night, he and Brandon Mably will be doing a book signing at my favorite yarn shop Knitch. But that's pottery night and I don't want to miss it again. Last time I missed pottery night was to see the Yarn Harlot speak.
There's only three pottery sessions left in this quarter and I have so many pieces to trim, bisque, and glaze. I still have pieces from the spring quarter that have yet to be glazed. This has been a great pottery class. I'm making really large (for me) pieces, using 8 and 10 lbs of clay, and now I've learned how to make teapots. Very fun. Next quarter I'm signing up for Mariella's class again.
All of Fassett's stuff uses a ton of color, many that I never would think of using together. One of his mottos is "If you're not sure what color to use, add 20 more!" or something like that. I have several of his quilting and knitting books (Kaffe Fassett's Kaleidoscope of Quilt's, Glorious Patchwork, Family Album, and Kaffe Fassett's Pattern Library) and will take them for him to sign. Conveniently, the lecture will be held at an office park right next to where I work.
On Wednesday night, he and Brandon Mably will be doing a book signing at my favorite yarn shop Knitch. But that's pottery night and I don't want to miss it again. Last time I missed pottery night was to see the Yarn Harlot speak.
There's only three pottery sessions left in this quarter and I have so many pieces to trim, bisque, and glaze. I still have pieces from the spring quarter that have yet to be glazed. This has been a great pottery class. I'm making really large (for me) pieces, using 8 and 10 lbs of clay, and now I've learned how to make teapots. Very fun. Next quarter I'm signing up for Mariella's class again.
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