Reflections on Friday

I still won't talk about my work on my blog, maybe in a couple of years, but I will talk about working.

I have mentioned that my boss for the past 13+ years is retiring the end of January and I am filling the spot. A nice little promotion. Not a huge amount more money.

The transition has been awkward. I really respect him, I have enjoyed working with him, there is an honorable legacy, and he is the last of the founding generation of the program I work in, he has been here 37 years. I sense a sadness at leaving work he has found very meaningful.

I have been reluctant to start making plans for what needs to be done, when I start the directors role in February. I don't want my boss to feel that we are pushing him aside, or out. I would actually be happy if he worked a couple more years, until I will reach the point of working because I want to, not because I need to.

We are reaching the point that I need to start making plans for projects we can do in February and March, if we are going to do anything besides tread water in February and March. And it is uncomfortable doing so. One day recently he and I were on a call with his boss, who will be my immediate boss starting in February. She asked about a particular project she would like us to do, and my boss has been reluctant to do. He finally said, "David and his colleagues can decide what they want to do there." Ah, permission to make a plan for something to happen after his retirement.

Moving into an official supervisory role, there are some additional trainings I will need to complete, and I will need approval access to some accounting platforms. Without mentioning it to my boss, I had reached out and asked, "what can I start getting done before I need it." It is not bad, 4 or 5 short training modules. I felt strange asking. I have been very loyal. I have never told him, in 13 years I have only applied for two other jobs, one outside the organization that I was interviewed for, and an internal promotion that I was not. I felt I was being disloyal doing that. I felt bad about asking about getting ready for February, but if we plan ahead, the actual transition can be more seamless.

I don't have plans for radical changes, but I do have some of my own ideas. And I need to spend time with my colleagues hearing their ideas.

We are trying to hire a replacement for me. With my changing jobs more of my time will be devoted to administration, and we have projects coming up to speed that are going to be more hours than we will have staff in February. Three weeks, and one qualified candidate. The first quarter could be a nightmare.

Comments

The Way We Wednesday - Self-Timer Selfies

My oldest brother had a low draft lottery number, so he enlisted in the Navy the year he finished high school. After basic training, he was assigned to the Aircraft Carrier Enterprise (now decommissioned and the last I knew it was being dismantled.) Someplace in southeast Asia he bought a Canon Ftb, a nice 35MM SLR. There was also a tripod, the gray zippered case above their arms is the case for the tripod. Looking at this it was taken with the camera on the tripod, and either a cable release or the self timer, I suspect the self timer as Dale is almost blurred from having tripped the timer and rushed back to be in the picture. This would have been taken in one of the crew living areas on the ship. I think Dale only took a couple of rolls of film on the camera, this roll of slides ended up with dad's meaning it was probably in the camera when Dale came home on leave, and somehow Dad ended up keeping the camera. Dad gave it to me a few years b...

Saturday Morning Post: In lieu of flowers

I read this in an obituary recently: In lieu of flowers or cards, Jim would want you to write a card or letter to someone that is special to you. Dear Travel Penguin Blog Readers, I never met Jim, kinda wish I had. He lived near where I was born and raised, I often check obits there, people around my age are often people I crossed paths with when I was growing up. Those 20-30 years older are often the parents of people I grew up with. Sadly sometimes the younger ones are the children of my classmates. You are special to me. I know a handful of you. I wake up everyday looking forward to interacting in the comments. The statistics tell me there are many more that read, than I have never seen a comment from. I write for everyone of you. My sincere hope is that a photo I have posted, or a phrase I have crafted, makes your day a little better. I hope through these photos and words I am able to express that life will be...

Thursday Ramble - Late April edition

I have made the first purchase for the kitchen replacement, a new faucet, and the next day the kitchen sink. Both should be here by the time this posts. The faucet is black and square, there was a TV commercial of a couple walking into an architect, placing a faucet on the desk and saying "design us a house around this." Yes, that kind of a statement piece. Appliances remain the major loose end. I am in a crazy busy cycle at the work, three major trainings in two days, and another next week. My first board meeting since becoming director is Friday, I get to shake things up. And it is budgeting season. And we are officially returning to the office. Glad I am taking a week off in May. I am back in a reading frenzy, I bought a stack of books in NYC, and I am almost done with those. More on the Kindle to read. It was nice to get into ink and paper bookstores a couple of times. There is a nice small bookstore ...

myxer

Search This Blog