Category: w00t

What the hell have I been doing with my life?

I went to an “all hands” meeting at work today with the CFO of my company. They had some corporate news and business to discuss so we all dutifully showed up.

Our CFO is a pretty well known guy in the industry. Incredibly smart and articulate. Laid back in his khakis and blue button down. Comfortable in his own skin. Has been with the company since he came out of college so knows our business well. Been here just about fifteen years all in.

Successful C-level officer of a thriving multi-national company.

And he’s exactly one year younger than me.

I wonder, sometimes, if I had worked harder or was more focused on my job or if I actually even made being an executive part of my game plan if I could have gotten there, too?

There was a time, in my twenties, when I was set and determined on rising to the top, or as far as I could get. It seemed that getting ahead was what I was about, so I worked my tookus off, and yes, had some good success.

Then somewhere around age thirty I started to realize that maybe just going to work, doing a decent job, then coming home and having a genuine life were more important.

I look at the CFO, the Boy Wonder, and think “Yeah, he makes a lot of money and has a lot of power…but his life is his job.”

I don’t want my life to be my job.

This is not the most popular outlook given the very success driven area where I live. Actually, the expectation of my former employer that everything you did, you did for the company was part of the reason it was time to leave.

Funny how time mellows my mind.

So maybe I’m not CFO of my employer, but I’m Chief Food Officer for my feline and Chief Administrator of the Smooch to my husband and Chief Artist in Residence at our home.

Heck, for a troubled little girl from Albuquerque, that’s some damn fine success, if you ask me.

Though I’m still negotiating compensation…..*grin*

I got you something!

Oh, I know I didn’t have to…I just wanted to.

Because you are something special to me.

Here it is!

Open it! I can’t stand the anticipation!

Great! Do you like it? Is it too much?

I got you:

A warm, safe and joyous holiday!

A 2009 filled with both hope and prosperity

Humility, gratitude and appreciation for all you’ve done for me this year.

And

Love. Lots and lots of love.

Use it well! It’s just your size!

The roots of my raising run deep…

Ok, well, maybe a taste of the holiday spirit came and got me this weekend.

The tree went up.

And the kitchen got cookin’.

It ain’t Christmas without a batch of biscochitos. (Recipe here from the PNM cookbook.) It’s a family tradition.

Here are the little beauties, just before going in the oven….deelish already:

And then, fully cooked, fulfilling their destiny. So lightly baked, so flaky, so anise-y. Oh yeah. New Mexico comes to visit.

Many of these bad boys will be going with me to work. These Californians need a taste of where I come from!

Go Speed Racer!

Whoo! Had quite the day at “work”. I put the air quotes around it, because even though I got up at the usual time and drove in to work, I didn’t do any *actual* work today.

It was the occasion of my group’s annual holiday offsite event. This is only my fourth week of employment.

We went to a new and very well managed Go Kart Racing facility. They are set up for corporate “team building” events. I dunno if talking smack and bumping your coworker ’round the curves is building a team, but it was a heck of a lot of fun.

We were broken up into two teams and each team got two goes at the race course. First was “warm up” laps, to learn the course. Then it got serious. I placed in the middle of the pack for times in the warm up laps.

Then we did a “qualifying round,” and from the results would be positioned for the final round.

So, while we waited for the qualifying round, oh did the smack talk begin. The “you’re going down!” comments started flying. And not from me. No, they came AT me. And I smiled. And I put on my pink helmet.

And I kicked everyone’s ass.

That’s right, I won the qualifying round, got the pole position, and never looked back.

Many of my new coworkers were like “wow, you were really…aggressive…out there.” Umm hmm…they wouldn’t have said that to a male driver. I’m just sayin’.

I was proud because another of my coworkers, one who took the MOST grief (they told her she drove like she was taking her kids to school. That ain’t right) came in second right behind me.

Girl Power!

After the racing then we played pool, ate and talked about the team and how we’ll approach next year.

So far, I’m really digging this job. Some of the best folks I’ve ever worked with. I just hope I can step up soon and be a fully functioning member of the group. They’ve been nothing but great to me.

Next up: the entire corporation has a holiday event Saturday. The Good Man gets to go too. It’s gonna be BIG fun!