Friday things

I got back home late last night. It was a long day with a lot of discussion on budgets (where to cut a couple of million $) and revising an action plan. So the work wasn't as exhilarating as the day before. I have much more of a "forest" view point than the leaf or twig view. Nonetheless, it was good to be part of this hardworking group.

Now it's Friday, and I'm catching up on a bunch of stuff here at the office. I appreciate all your comments over the past several days. You have provided a lot of heart felt responses. A piece of the equation that I left out, probably because it smacks of "whining" and has ego involved, is that my direct supervisor is a micro-manager who has a controlling and parental style of dealing with people. I don't care for that style, find it oppressive, and toxic to productivity.

I wrote a while ago about having read a book about jerks in the workplace. I've found that the author, Bob Sutton, has a blog that has some thought provoking stuff. And one of the articles on his blog has tips for victims of workplace assholes. I liked his biggest lesson:
"The best thing to do if you are stuck under thumb of an asshole (or a bunch of them) is to get out as fast as you can. You are at great risk of suffering personal damage and of turning into as asshole yourself. Acting like a jerk isn’t just something that a few twisted people are born with; it is a contagious disease." Nuff said.

Anyway, it is Friday and that means that, all being well, there's a weekend ahead. Tonight, I'm going to do some Spoleto Festival stuff around town: maybe listen to some live blues, catch a play, have a nice quiet dinner out. And tomorrow I'm planning to head to the boat and enjoy a weekend on the water.

I'm feeling contented and happy. There are always choices in this life. And that opens up so many possibilities. So rather than feeling imprisoned, I feel wide open.