Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
A New York State of Mind
Christmas blog to come..but in the mean time...I am heading to New York tonight to Kent's parents' home in Highland Falls. I cant wait to get there! It will be my first visit to their home in the Hudson Valley. It is just a beautiful spot in the world, and I can't wait to experience it for myself.
Kent called me this morning to tell me that there is snow on the ground. We will be playing in a winter wonderland tomorrow, and I am so excited!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Million Dollar Baby
I do realize that even after my last blog about not blogging that I have still not started blogging again.
I just got back from my first trip home since moving to the West coast. I had such a wonderful time, and I am already looking forward to going back. I was so excited last week as I was preparing to fly out the night of the 23rd. We had a holiday potluck at Gap; I was wearing a new sweater, and I just couldn't wait to get on that plane, land in Atlanta and see so many loved ones that I missed so dearly. I was scheduled to leave the office right at five, so I could get home in time to pack and clean before my Super Shuttle picked me up at 8:30 for my midnight flight (had to leave plenty of time for the long holiday lines). Around 3pm, I get a call from our Chicago team that works on the Gap account, and it turns out that we have billed the wrong account for about a $1million in duty (tax) payments to US Customs. If we do not fix this asap, we could potentially overdraft the account, and be subject to thousands of dollars in fines to the government. I immeditely get on the phone with our executive leadership because I definitely need their help when it comes to problems of this size ($1M!). It turns out that this problem is not easily fixable, and we won't know how to fix it until one of our internal customs gurus returns from vacation after Christmas. This means that I must go through the entire holiday not knowing how this can be resolved. I felt utterly helpless at this point!
Feeling discourged, disheartened, and sick to my stomach; I thought, "how in the world could this happen, and how could I not catch it before it became a big problem?" Images of quitting or being fired flashed through my mind. While it was not directly my fault, I still feel like I could have prevented it if I had asked enough questions while this part of the business was transitioned. I lead this program, and the responsibility is mine.
I internalize everything, and now that my boss is basically non-existent I have noone to offer real feedback or support- no one that is truly invested in my development. There are many great people that are involved in the account that I could reach out to for support, but you can't force a mentor/mentee relationship. That develops over time.
In the middle of this, I had to leave the office in order to get home, so I could catch my flight on time to get home. All of the excitement had drained out of me, and I was just sort of empty. I made it to the airport. I drank a beer before boarding my flight, and that made me feel surprisingly better- not that Im condoning alcohol as a coping method. :) I boarded the plane in San Fracisco, made it stop 1 in Dallas around 3am West coast time.... I groggly made my way off of the plane and onto the next one, landing in Atlanta around 9:30 east coast time...
I just got back from my first trip home since moving to the West coast. I had such a wonderful time, and I am already looking forward to going back. I was so excited last week as I was preparing to fly out the night of the 23rd. We had a holiday potluck at Gap; I was wearing a new sweater, and I just couldn't wait to get on that plane, land in Atlanta and see so many loved ones that I missed so dearly. I was scheduled to leave the office right at five, so I could get home in time to pack and clean before my Super Shuttle picked me up at 8:30 for my midnight flight (had to leave plenty of time for the long holiday lines). Around 3pm, I get a call from our Chicago team that works on the Gap account, and it turns out that we have billed the wrong account for about a $1million in duty (tax) payments to US Customs. If we do not fix this asap, we could potentially overdraft the account, and be subject to thousands of dollars in fines to the government. I immeditely get on the phone with our executive leadership because I definitely need their help when it comes to problems of this size ($1M!). It turns out that this problem is not easily fixable, and we won't know how to fix it until one of our internal customs gurus returns from vacation after Christmas. This means that I must go through the entire holiday not knowing how this can be resolved. I felt utterly helpless at this point!
Feeling discourged, disheartened, and sick to my stomach; I thought, "how in the world could this happen, and how could I not catch it before it became a big problem?" Images of quitting or being fired flashed through my mind. While it was not directly my fault, I still feel like I could have prevented it if I had asked enough questions while this part of the business was transitioned. I lead this program, and the responsibility is mine.
I internalize everything, and now that my boss is basically non-existent I have noone to offer real feedback or support- no one that is truly invested in my development. There are many great people that are involved in the account that I could reach out to for support, but you can't force a mentor/mentee relationship. That develops over time.
In the middle of this, I had to leave the office in order to get home, so I could catch my flight on time to get home. All of the excitement had drained out of me, and I was just sort of empty. I made it to the airport. I drank a beer before boarding my flight, and that made me feel surprisingly better- not that Im condoning alcohol as a coping method. :) I boarded the plane in San Fracisco, made it stop 1 in Dallas around 3am West coast time.... I groggly made my way off of the plane and onto the next one, landing in Atlanta around 9:30 east coast time...
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Workout Updates- Thursday
Okay okay. so I promised to provide workout updates to keep myself honest. :)
On Monday, I got off of work late, so Kent and I decided to do the Coit Tower run instead. It was pretty brutal. You run fast for a mile and a half on flat ground down the Embarcadero, then you run up about 1000 stairs up hill towards to Coit Tower, which overlooks the city of San Francisco. It is in a great neighborhood called Telegraph Hill where beautiful bright colored homes cover the STEEP streets. When we got to the top of the hill, I was completely out of breath, and feeling the pain, but we couldn't stop there. We did 100 sit ups (not crunches) and 100 pushups, then headed back down the steps and home running at a fast pace. Kent let me use his ipod, and it really pushed me to the next level. His ipod is filled with fast paced, motivating music, unlike mine which is filled with old country love songs.
Tuesday, I worked late and Kent had mediation, so I stayed home and didn't work out. I know I know... already cheating, and it was only day 2.
Last Night, Wednesday, I altered the plan a little and just did the stationary bike for 20 minutes. Not exactly a stellar workout, but at least it was something.
Tonight's workout is up in the air. I would like to get my long run in tonight...if I can get home in time!
I think setting goals is important, but it is more important to just make sure that you do something. You can alter the plan, but at least alter it to where you do something every day even if you don't do it all.
On Monday, I got off of work late, so Kent and I decided to do the Coit Tower run instead. It was pretty brutal. You run fast for a mile and a half on flat ground down the Embarcadero, then you run up about 1000 stairs up hill towards to Coit Tower, which overlooks the city of San Francisco. It is in a great neighborhood called Telegraph Hill where beautiful bright colored homes cover the STEEP streets. When we got to the top of the hill, I was completely out of breath, and feeling the pain, but we couldn't stop there. We did 100 sit ups (not crunches) and 100 pushups, then headed back down the steps and home running at a fast pace. Kent let me use his ipod, and it really pushed me to the next level. His ipod is filled with fast paced, motivating music, unlike mine which is filled with old country love songs.
Tuesday, I worked late and Kent had mediation, so I stayed home and didn't work out. I know I know... already cheating, and it was only day 2.
Last Night, Wednesday, I altered the plan a little and just did the stationary bike for 20 minutes. Not exactly a stellar workout, but at least it was something.
Tonight's workout is up in the air. I would like to get my long run in tonight...if I can get home in time!
I think setting goals is important, but it is more important to just make sure that you do something. You can alter the plan, but at least alter it to where you do something every day even if you don't do it all.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Biking the Golden Gate Bridge
This blog is supposed to be about experiencing life to the fullest out in California! Last weekend, Kent and I decided to do the classic tourist experience in San Francisco- bike the Golden Gate Bridge. I was a little nervous as I have not ridden a bike in almost 20 years, but I hoped that the old addage "It's like riding a bike" was true.
And... it was! We headed down to the Fisherman's Wharf on Saturday afternoon and rented bikes. Neither of us own bikes right now. Kent had two bikes stolen last year on campus, and I haven't owned one since I was 6 years old. There were many different routes to choose from, but the classic experience is riding through Golden Gate Park, across the bridge, and down to Sausalito, where you can pick up the Ferry for a nice ride home on the SF Bay.
I was able to get the hang of it pretty quickly, even shifting gears and putting on breaks. :) Learning to ride a bike kind of makes you feel like a kid again. With all of the hustle and bustle and stresses of every day life, it is always good to take the time to remember the simplicities of youth.
I still feel like I am visiting San Francisco, and I am on an extended vacation to the West Coast. (A vacation filled with lots of work all week long). Home is really all about being with the people you love, and has less to do with the physical location of your whereabouts.
I sometimes miss Atlanta, reminisce about my long runs there, training for a marathon, running through Lenox Park down Druid Hills Road. The running then was really all about running away from the loneliness, dealing with the pain of separation, and becoming a stronger better person throughout the process. The finish line is only icing on the cake.
Atlanta was home to me until Kent came along, and it wasn't home anymore after he left. I guess home really is where the heart is. Now my heart is here, and one day I will reminisce about our days here. I just keep reminding myself to make the most of every single moment and soak in all of the wonderful things life has to offer!
Workout Updates
I apologize to the few of you who might actually look for updates on this blog. I have not been very diligent with my blogging lately as it has been hard to find the time. Like anything, it just needs to become a priority.
Today, I am going to post my goal workouts for the week, so I can keep my self on track, and hold myself accountable. Will keep the blog updated througout the week, so you can know if I succeeded or failed.
Monday- Run 45 minutes down the Embarcadero and back- total of 1 1/2 hours
Tuesday- Cross Fit
Wed- Run to Coit Tower and back
Thur- Bike 30 minutes and then upper body weights
Friday- Stair master 30 minutes and then lower body weights
Sat- Kayaking in Monterrey
Sun- Hiking in Angel Island
Today, I am going to post my goal workouts for the week, so I can keep my self on track, and hold myself accountable. Will keep the blog updated througout the week, so you can know if I succeeded or failed.
Monday- Run 45 minutes down the Embarcadero and back- total of 1 1/2 hours
Tuesday- Cross Fit
Wed- Run to Coit Tower and back
Thur- Bike 30 minutes and then upper body weights
Friday- Stair master 30 minutes and then lower body weights
Sat- Kayaking in Monterrey
Sun- Hiking in Angel Island
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