Look for me elsewhere, for now...

Old friends, acquaintances and passerby.
Please look for my latest activities at my new blog and on my website.

Thanks and best wishes!

And nearly a year later . . .

Shortly after I wrote the post below, my coworkers and I were informed our department was being outsourced. Not to another country but to a company who handles other companies HR operations. And, lucky us, we got to interview for our own jobs.

Not everyone was offered a position. And those who received offers were jumbled - people with far greater experience and seniority at our former company were offered entry level positions, which we accepted, grateful to at least have a job. (Layoffs for our company topped 1300.)

I was one of those people, grateful to have a job. It was a different sort of gratitude than I spoke of in previous posts. Grudging. Despondent. Bewildered.

I've been with the new company for over six months now. Loathing nearly every minute of it.

Why am I back here at "Mojo", after 12 months of writing nothing? I was Googling something and "Where's My Mojo" was the third result.

Serendipity.

I'm lucky.

I have to keep telling myself I'm lucky. I have a job. I'm lucky, lucky, lucky.

Every Monday morning when I wake with a knot of dread in the pit of my stomach and a throbbing headache, I know I'm lucky.

I drive to work, weary before I've even arrived. Trek across the frozen tundra of a parking lot, icy needles of the wind piercing my cheeks. I'm lucky.

I sit down at my desk, fire up my computer, glance at the phones to see half a dozen or more calls waiting - each caller more frustrated than the last. Email from leadership with vague, obscure messages, forecasting negative numbers and all sorts of unacceptable metrics. I'm lucky.

We're seat-fillers. Companies can fill 5-9 seats in India at the same cost it takes to fill just one of our seats. We know this, yet push it to the back of our minds even though much of our processing responsibilities have already been off-shored. We're lucky.

Yes, my friends, this country is in trouble. I'm lucky to have a job when so many others are arriving at work this morning to pink slips, given ten minutes to box up years worth of desk memorabilia and be escorted to the door by security - not even allowed to say goodbye to colleagues, peers . . . friends.

So, I take my meds and visit my therapist regularly to keep the dogs of depression and woe at bay. I complete all the ridiculous exercises in "What Color is Your Parachute," even though I already know my strengths, my skills and the job environment where I'll be most happy for the next 25 years:

I want a position which has zero chance of being outsourced.
I want to be trusted, not micromanaged.
I want to be creative, innovative, forward-thinking. A problem-solver.
I want to utilize my written communication skills.
I want to utilize my artistic skills.
I want to research, investigate, resolve, complete, present.

I received the summary plan description for the long-term disability plan I'm enrolled in. For my age bracket, the "expected retirement age" is 67.

Folks, this isn't your grandfather's retirement plan.

For those of you who have lost your jobs, I'm truly sorry. Hang in there - I hope you find something soon.

The latest . . .

Yikes. I'm here, I'm here, I swear. It's been a hella busy 6 or 7 months.

I returned to full-time work in August '07 and then struggled to not only adjust to the corporate world, but to deal with a micro-managing idiot supervisor with her head so far up her @ss, she didn't know which way was up! Thankfully, she was asked to resign, but not before mangling most of the annual reviews she wrote for her team. I had to leap frog over her head to get mine re-written by her manager. That's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I could go into more, but I won't. I have a new supervisor and he seems to be the cat's pajamas so far.

I apologize for being absent. You can find out a little bit more here.

Hope all is well with y'all and I hope to not be gone so long again.

I've discovered blogging by cell phone.
Sally

Whoops!

How did it get to be December 3 already? What happened to October and November?

Quick updates.
Work: Fantastic. Hints from my supervisor that I could be promoted again, soon.
House: Got new roof, new siding, new soffits/fascia, new patio door and new windows. Still waiting on new living room windows, new front and back door and gutters.
Girl Scouts: Fine. I've had moments where I'm ready to quit. One spoiled brat of a girl decided to quit our troop and join the popular, cool troop her best friend attends. Spoiled Brat's mom never bothered to let me know. I found out second-hand. I was five kinds of furious.
The Spider: I've had no contact and haven't seen her for weeks. I refer to her house as "The Devil's Den." No particular reason except it's fun to say.
Writing: Lots of creative urges and ideas, not enough time.
Weather: