Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Mission Accomplished
I swear, I think that half of my company must have had the item, "Drive Joni crazy" on their To Do List today.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Happy Anniversary to me
12 years ago today I began my career at the Big D.
I sort of got a late start on my career because back in the olden days, Delta had a nepotism policy that prevented immediate family members from working full time at the company. So, I bided my time until Dad finally decided to retire. Then, as they were only hiring for frontline Reservations, I took the leap (and a pay cut) and started as a Res Sales agent.
In the time since then, I've moved up the ladder (and fortunately, the pay scale) and while not every day has been a rosy one (bankruptcy, pay cuts, occasional rude customer), I know that it was a good move for me. I've made some wonderful friends. I've learned more than I ever thought possible about things I never knew existed before getting into the airline business. Oh, and I've flown for free. A lot.
At last count, I've gone on 52 different trips (on my own pass, that is. On Dad's pass - I couldn't begin to hazard a guess, but I'm sure that 100 wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities.)
As far as destinations go, Vegas is in the lead with 17, followed by Savannah with 11. I had a friend that lived in Savannah and I use to fly down to see her and her husband for the day every few weeks, and she would pick me up at the airport, we would go see a movie, have dinner, and then I'd fly home. I once had someone ask, "Why fly to Savannah just to see a movie?" My answer - "Because I can!" (Yeah - it was a little snotty, but if you had heard the way this guy asked the question, you would understand.)
I tried to think of one most favorite trip, but there are just too many to single out one.
I've taken the niece and nephew to DC a few times, seen the Grand Canyon with them and roamed British castles with them. Those were definitely among the best.
Going to Memphis to visit Graceland with my Mom was another fun one. And our many trips to Vegas are always great - even if she and her 74 year old self can stay up all night, while I end up crawling back to the room alone by 1:00 a.m.
There were also two trips with just me and my Dad that were especially meaningful. The first was one of my first official trips after I had been with the company for about 8 months. Dad and I flew to London, where we rented a car and drove west (on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road) to the village of Yeovil, England. While there, we visited the home of our ancestral family and visited the churchyard where my 12th great grandfather was buried. It was cool beyond words.
The other trip great trip was when Dad and I flew out to Norfolk on Thanksgiving Day 2003. From Norfolk, we drove down the coast of NC to the town of Kitty Hawk, and early the next morning, we visited the site where the Wright Brothers made the first flight 100 years earlier. As we were there about a week before the actual 100 year anniversary, we were fortunate to be the only people there when the park opened that day. Standing on that hill, alone with my Dad, looking over the spot where history was made and our common careers were born, was one of the best moments of my life. It is and will always be one of my most precious memories. The ability to go there and share the common love of flight with my Dad was worth any pay cut or bad day at work I could ever have had over the last 12 years.
Next week, I'll be heading off on trip #53 with my Mom. Guess where?
I hope my next 12 years are as fulfilling and fun as the first 12 have been.
I sort of got a late start on my career because back in the olden days, Delta had a nepotism policy that prevented immediate family members from working full time at the company. So, I bided my time until Dad finally decided to retire. Then, as they were only hiring for frontline Reservations, I took the leap (and a pay cut) and started as a Res Sales agent.
In the time since then, I've moved up the ladder (and fortunately, the pay scale) and while not every day has been a rosy one (bankruptcy, pay cuts, occasional rude customer), I know that it was a good move for me. I've made some wonderful friends. I've learned more than I ever thought possible about things I never knew existed before getting into the airline business. Oh, and I've flown for free. A lot.
At last count, I've gone on 52 different trips (on my own pass, that is. On Dad's pass - I couldn't begin to hazard a guess, but I'm sure that 100 wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities.)
As far as destinations go, Vegas is in the lead with 17, followed by Savannah with 11. I had a friend that lived in Savannah and I use to fly down to see her and her husband for the day every few weeks, and she would pick me up at the airport, we would go see a movie, have dinner, and then I'd fly home. I once had someone ask, "Why fly to Savannah just to see a movie?" My answer - "Because I can!" (Yeah - it was a little snotty, but if you had heard the way this guy asked the question, you would understand.)
I tried to think of one most favorite trip, but there are just too many to single out one.
I've taken the niece and nephew to DC a few times, seen the Grand Canyon with them and roamed British castles with them. Those were definitely among the best.
Going to Memphis to visit Graceland with my Mom was another fun one. And our many trips to Vegas are always great - even if she and her 74 year old self can stay up all night, while I end up crawling back to the room alone by 1:00 a.m.
There were also two trips with just me and my Dad that were especially meaningful. The first was one of my first official trips after I had been with the company for about 8 months. Dad and I flew to London, where we rented a car and drove west (on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road) to the village of Yeovil, England. While there, we visited the home of our ancestral family and visited the churchyard where my 12th great grandfather was buried. It was cool beyond words.
The other trip great trip was when Dad and I flew out to Norfolk on Thanksgiving Day 2003. From Norfolk, we drove down the coast of NC to the town of Kitty Hawk, and early the next morning, we visited the site where the Wright Brothers made the first flight 100 years earlier. As we were there about a week before the actual 100 year anniversary, we were fortunate to be the only people there when the park opened that day. Standing on that hill, alone with my Dad, looking over the spot where history was made and our common careers were born, was one of the best moments of my life. It is and will always be one of my most precious memories. The ability to go there and share the common love of flight with my Dad was worth any pay cut or bad day at work I could ever have had over the last 12 years.
Next week, I'll be heading off on trip #53 with my Mom. Guess where?
I hope my next 12 years are as fulfilling and fun as the first 12 have been.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Day 19
Day 19 - 13 May, 11:52 p.m.
Today I am trying to convince myself that I am grateful for something that scares the crap out of me. Sort of like The Secret - maybe by saying it, I will make it so.
You see, today it was pretty much confirmed that four of the nine members of my team are taking packages and will be leaving the company within the next six weeks. This includes the three most senior people, all with 30+ years a piece with the company, and my schedule building partner. There is also a pretty good chance that at least one other person will leave the department, if not the company.
Part of what makes this so scary is that all of these people have been very possessive of their knowledge of various projects and programs, so I have not been able to learn as much as I would have hoped to during my last two years in the department. And now, I have to learn it all in 6 weeks. Plus, I will still have to keep up with my regular duties, and probably help train the new people if and when we get any. Also, three of these people are the type that rarely use all their vacation days and will regularly put in 10 and 12 hour days and weekends. And I just can not live my life like that. Sure, I will put in extra hours when I need to, but I shouldn't have to need to every single day of every single week. Overall, the whole thing puts a lot of pressure on me, and I am really afraid that I can't handle it all. I tell you, my anxiety is at peak levels right now, and being sick on top of it all has not helped.
On the other hand, it could be the best thing that ever happened to me. I could come away from it all with a promotion or pay increase, since my responsibilities will likely increase. It will give me an opportunity to grow, prove myself (to myself and to others), eliminate some of those time killing processes that we continue to do because "we've always done it that way" and exercise those streamlining muscles I've been trying to flex for the last two years. This could finally be my moment.
Therefore, today...
I am grateful for new opportunities and challenges.
Today I am trying to convince myself that I am grateful for something that scares the crap out of me. Sort of like The Secret - maybe by saying it, I will make it so.
You see, today it was pretty much confirmed that four of the nine members of my team are taking packages and will be leaving the company within the next six weeks. This includes the three most senior people, all with 30+ years a piece with the company, and my schedule building partner. There is also a pretty good chance that at least one other person will leave the department, if not the company.
Part of what makes this so scary is that all of these people have been very possessive of their knowledge of various projects and programs, so I have not been able to learn as much as I would have hoped to during my last two years in the department. And now, I have to learn it all in 6 weeks. Plus, I will still have to keep up with my regular duties, and probably help train the new people if and when we get any. Also, three of these people are the type that rarely use all their vacation days and will regularly put in 10 and 12 hour days and weekends. And I just can not live my life like that. Sure, I will put in extra hours when I need to, but I shouldn't have to need to every single day of every single week. Overall, the whole thing puts a lot of pressure on me, and I am really afraid that I can't handle it all. I tell you, my anxiety is at peak levels right now, and being sick on top of it all has not helped.
On the other hand, it could be the best thing that ever happened to me. I could come away from it all with a promotion or pay increase, since my responsibilities will likely increase. It will give me an opportunity to grow, prove myself (to myself and to others), eliminate some of those time killing processes that we continue to do because "we've always done it that way" and exercise those streamlining muscles I've been trying to flex for the last two years. This could finally be my moment.
Therefore, today...
I am grateful for new opportunities and challenges.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Days 9, 10, 11 and 12
Let’s see now – where was I?
Oh yes, being grateful.
That is, until I got too busy at the big D, had to work 14 days straight (the last couple of those being 10 and 12 hour days). So now, let me see if I can catch up on my gratefulness.
Day 9 - 03 May
I am grateful for the upcoming raises my company announced this past week.
Trust me, after working as much as I have in the last little bit (and as something that repeats every 3-4 months) I am not paid nearly enough.
Day 10 - 04 May
I am grateful that I survived.
Day 11 - 05 May
I am grateful that I got to sleep undisturbed until noon on my first day off in way too long.
Day 12 - 06 May, 11:05 p.m.
I am grateful that my true friends and most loved family members do not give me grief when I disappear from their lives for weeks at a time when work gets crazy.
They understand that I love them, care about them and send good vibes to them even when they haven’t asked (or maybe they have asked, but I just haven’t gotten around to reading all of their emails or catching up with their blogs to know that they have) and that I would much rather have spent the last three weeks enjoying their company, rather than spending all of my time at work.
Oh yes, being grateful.
That is, until I got too busy at the big D, had to work 14 days straight (the last couple of those being 10 and 12 hour days). So now, let me see if I can catch up on my gratefulness.
Day 9 - 03 May
I am grateful for the upcoming raises my company announced this past week.
Trust me, after working as much as I have in the last little bit (and as something that repeats every 3-4 months) I am not paid nearly enough.
Day 10 - 04 May
I am grateful that I survived.
Day 11 - 05 May
I am grateful that I got to sleep undisturbed until noon on my first day off in way too long.
Day 12 - 06 May, 11:05 p.m.
I am grateful that my true friends and most loved family members do not give me grief when I disappear from their lives for weeks at a time when work gets crazy.
They understand that I love them, care about them and send good vibes to them even when they haven’t asked (or maybe they have asked, but I just haven’t gotten around to reading all of their emails or catching up with their blogs to know that they have) and that I would much rather have spent the last three weeks enjoying their company, rather than spending all of my time at work.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Day 8
Day 8 - 02 May, 11:14 p.m.
I am grateful that I have kind neighbors.
As I mentioned previously, I've worked the last 12 days straight, and will probably have to work tomorrow and Sunday too. But when I got home tonight, my grass had been cut, my yard edged and my hanging ferns on the front porch had been watered.
In the game of good neighbors, I'm currently 3 for 3.
I am grateful that I have kind neighbors.
As I mentioned previously, I've worked the last 12 days straight, and will probably have to work tomorrow and Sunday too. But when I got home tonight, my grass had been cut, my yard edged and my hanging ferns on the front porch had been watered.
In the game of good neighbors, I'm currently 3 for 3.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Day 6
Day 6 - 30 April, 11:59 p.m. (OK - I'm cheating, so sue me.)
I am grateful for truly good friends I have made at past jobs.
Although I've only worked for 4 different companies over the span of my work life, I've held 15 different positions in about 10-12 different departments. And at each job, I've tended to make a close friend or two along the way. You know, the person or people who you share lunches and breaks with, discuss who got booted off whatever reality show last night with, complain about the office crazy person/awful boss with, celebrate good times with, bond over bad times with, play secret Santa with and for the most part, spend more waking time with than you do your own family. These coworkers are like your second family.
And then you get a new job.
In most cases, after promising to keep in touch, you slowly lose track of them, only occasionally bumping into them at the mall (especially if one of the former jobs was at the mall), then seeing them only enough to recognize that they look familiar, but not really remembering their name, until they are completely gone from your mind, other than maybe vaguely recalling that sweet guy who worked on the shipping dock who you use to go to each lunch with down at the lake by the nearby cemetery (for real - it was pretty and peaceful) back in the early 90s.
But then there are the ones that you never forget. They are people who move beyond the place of being a lunch partner because they are convenient, and become one because you genuinely enjoy their company. People who you still make a big effort to see or keep in touch with, even when it becomes difficult because they quit the company, moved out of state, or had kids and just don't have a lot of free time.
Tonight I had a call from one of those friends. Cynthia and I worked together at SunTrust. We were in the same work pod, had the same break and lunch schedule, and even carpooled for a while. Then she got a job at Delta, but we still remained friends. And once I went to work at Delta, it became easier again. While we never worked in the same building, we would still make a point to get together for lunch, take an occasional day trip or go to a hockey games. (She had season tickets.)
Then one day, I had to cancel plans to go to a hockey game with her at the last minute. Another friend suggested she take a guy the friend knew that loved hockey. And the next thing you know, Cynthia and this guy were married, moving to Florida and having a baby. See - sometimes me flaking out on a friend has a happy ending after all.
Anyway, the point is, I'm glad that I still have friends like Cynthia, and Bonnie, and Connie, and Laura, and Stacy Aylse, and Glenda and Kim. People who made the days at those various jobs bearable, and who are still worth remembering and holding dear, even if it has been way too long since I've seen some of them. I love them all, and will always appreciate what they brought to my life.
Oh - and just so you know, I still remember shipping dock/cemetery guy's name. I could never forget shipping dock/cemetery guy.
I am grateful for truly good friends I have made at past jobs.
Although I've only worked for 4 different companies over the span of my work life, I've held 15 different positions in about 10-12 different departments. And at each job, I've tended to make a close friend or two along the way. You know, the person or people who you share lunches and breaks with, discuss who got booted off whatever reality show last night with, complain about the office crazy person/awful boss with, celebrate good times with, bond over bad times with, play secret Santa with and for the most part, spend more waking time with than you do your own family. These coworkers are like your second family.
And then you get a new job.
In most cases, after promising to keep in touch, you slowly lose track of them, only occasionally bumping into them at the mall (especially if one of the former jobs was at the mall), then seeing them only enough to recognize that they look familiar, but not really remembering their name, until they are completely gone from your mind, other than maybe vaguely recalling that sweet guy who worked on the shipping dock who you use to go to each lunch with down at the lake by the nearby cemetery (for real - it was pretty and peaceful) back in the early 90s.
But then there are the ones that you never forget. They are people who move beyond the place of being a lunch partner because they are convenient, and become one because you genuinely enjoy their company. People who you still make a big effort to see or keep in touch with, even when it becomes difficult because they quit the company, moved out of state, or had kids and just don't have a lot of free time.
Tonight I had a call from one of those friends. Cynthia and I worked together at SunTrust. We were in the same work pod, had the same break and lunch schedule, and even carpooled for a while. Then she got a job at Delta, but we still remained friends. And once I went to work at Delta, it became easier again. While we never worked in the same building, we would still make a point to get together for lunch, take an occasional day trip or go to a hockey games. (She had season tickets.)
Then one day, I had to cancel plans to go to a hockey game with her at the last minute. Another friend suggested she take a guy the friend knew that loved hockey. And the next thing you know, Cynthia and this guy were married, moving to Florida and having a baby. See - sometimes me flaking out on a friend has a happy ending after all.
Anyway, the point is, I'm glad that I still have friends like Cynthia, and Bonnie, and Connie, and Laura, and Stacy Aylse, and Glenda and Kim. People who made the days at those various jobs bearable, and who are still worth remembering and holding dear, even if it has been way too long since I've seen some of them. I love them all, and will always appreciate what they brought to my life.
Oh - and just so you know, I still remember shipping dock/cemetery guy's name. I could never forget shipping dock/cemetery guy.
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