So this is what a dumping ground feels like

A hidden pleasure of my new position is anyone and everyone who thinks that the way we are marketing our new message or the manner in which we are going about distributing it to the field, well get to just unload on me. Yes I am available 24x7 by cell phone, desk phone, home phone, text message, email and pager to allow them to tell me everything my team and I are doing incorrectly and should improve. The best part of this hidden pleasure is although I have the responsibility, I do not have the authority so my typical response must be something to the respect of ‘yes sir, we will take care of that’, or ‘yes sir, I will see if we can accomplish that’. As compared to the response I would much prefer to give something closer to ‘I will be happy to give that comment the attention it deserves’. Well not every day can be peaches and cream. Next week I am flying to St Louis for 36 hours, then 12 hours in NY, followed by a night flight home so I can sleep in my own bed by Wednesday night. Got to love those air miles to keep United Airlines in business, one of these days I am really looking forward to taking some special someone with me on some exotic vacation.

But not everything is gloom and doom, one of the not so hidden pleasures of working in an office environment is helping others celebrate their birthday. Yes this is one of those times where it is perfectly acceptable to take colored paper, pieces of latex and even edible concoctions and vandalize someone’s personal space. Granted that is defined as candy, balloons and crepe paper, but the idea still stands. So I got to spend Thursday testing my artistic skills to hopefully make someone smile on a day when everything was fated to go wrong and the stress seemed insurmountable. Best two hours of my life when you see that smile (granted a pretty big gasp preceded the smile).

So life here is just the usual rollercoaster of ups and downs. Get closer to some friends and more distant from others. Receive a selfless gift from a friend whose motives I never quite figured out, and a lecture from one whose I thought I knew. A bit of sympathy for someone who is going through an incredibly rough time with her family, and a celebration for another whose life is finally taking a turn for the better. I think this is what we call life, it may not be easy, its not always fun, but it is one hell of a ride.