Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Life, Stress, Figuring Out How to Retire.

So, I started writing this a few days ago, ran out of energy, and never got back to it. It started as the usual "I can't stand this job, I just want to retire" whine.

Once again I'm vagueblogging, because my issue is not with the company AT ALL, it's strictly the job. Two years in (as an employee, after 6.5 years as a contractor in other groups) and I still don't feel like a good fit. I love my boss, she's awesome, but I feel like I'm letting people down at least twice a week because I'm just burned out. Many reasons, including (and this surprised me) working remotely. It turns out I'm not the introvert I thought I was; I miss project meetings and interactions with the rest of the team, it energizes and focuses me. I haven't had that in two years and I'm half batshit at this point.

Last week my boss and I had one of the one-on-one meetings managers do with their teams, and I told her this. We've known each other for years, I worked with her when I was a contractor for the company, we are definitely work friends and I've always been open with her, though I do couch it in civilized language and don't say "fuck".  She doesn't swear. I like her anyway.

I told her that my current situation was making me feel like I'm letting everybody down in all directions. I didn't throw anybody else under the bus, but did tell her that my current situation isn't doable. Again, I apologize for vagueblogging, but basically, I'm doing two different roles that have different deadlines, different teams, different work methods, different deliverables, and I'm losing my mind and ready to retire and eat cat food if I must, but SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE HERE.

I've gained about 15 pounds from stress eating. I sleep like shit. I scream "FUCK!" at every incoming email or Teams message (working from home has some benefits). This cannot continue. 

I still remember a couple of years ago shortly after I started this job, when I had Delaney here after school, and she wandered into my home office and looked at the screens. I gaver her a very brief and non-technical explanation of what I do. She listened and said, "This is not good for you." I was floored. I had expected a shrug and, "Can we get McDonald's for lunch?" Not that serious declaration. She was right.

So I met with my boss and we discussed ways to take one of the roles off my back for the next two weeks, so I can meet my deadlines on two big projects, as a temporary fix, to be revisited later. She followed through with a meeting with the team that has the deadlines I can't meet, and made those things disappear to give me some breathing room.

Today: PLOT TWIST! 

I was so immersed in working on one of those deadline projects that I didn't even see her Teams meeting invite, until the window opened on my screen. My first thought was that it was a check-in to see how I was doing on my deadlines and how long I needed before I could get back to my other tasks.

No. That wasn't it. She and the other manager, who has known me for even longer, got together with THEIR manager, and I am being transferred back to the group where I have the most experience and know how to get shit done. Long corporate story, but I was a contractor on that team and had to leave it to do another job in between and then this job before I could go back to that one as an employee. Yes, it is as dumb as it sounds, but there you have it.

Anyway, this is a story of women supporting women: both my current and former (and future) bosses went to their boss, who is also a smart, practical woman, and they figured out how to move me between groups without drama. 

Did all of my stress go away? Nope. Do I now work with people I really enjoy and do work I know how to do? Yup. 

Oh, and the funniest part of this is that my boss asked me on the call whether this will maybe keep me from retiring at the end of the year.  I said, "Maybe?" 

We shall see.

 

 



Saturday, March 02, 2024

A moment of silence for bossylittledogs.com.

 It's gone, and I'm back here on Blogger.  I just couldn't justify the cost of hosting, etc. when I had lost interest in making it at all profitable.

I'd thought about starting a new blog here on Blogger, and I may get around to it one of these days, but for now, this still works. 

After all,




I still have bossy little dogs. 

It does need updating, and I need to learn the newer and fancier Blogger stuff, but it'll do.


Tuesday, February 06, 2024

Disney "Tour Guides." (Thanks Kimmen!)

 Okay, so, apparently I'm just going to start posting here without bothering to set up a new blog? 

For now, yes. One of my faithful and longtime readers asked me about a thing that apparently goes on at Disney World, with third party "guides" charging people to navigate the parks. I read the article on WaPo, and honestly, I had no idea that this was even a thing, and I've been very active both at Disney and in online forums about Disney for many years. The article makes it sound like an industry Disney is shutting down, and I'm curious about how many of these people are out there? A dozen? A hundred? It's just not a thing!

I can't imagine WHY this is a thing. The article says this service was helpful to people with disabilities, senior citizens, etc.  Lemme stop them right there - what, exactly, were these third party guides doing that their paying customers couldn't get directly from Disney? Nothing, unless you count the woman who dressed up and gave the kids fake jewels, etc. 

Wait, come to think of it, when Delaney was little one of the bus drivers from their resort gifted her with a purple jewel ring and other things, just because. Disney does stuff like this every day, it's referred to as "pixie dust," and is dished out mostly at kids, for reasons that should be obvious. (Karens who demand to be pixie dusted usually aren't.)

So these third-party "guides" convinced their "clients" that it was all so complicated they needed their services, then sold them services Disney already has for everybody. Millions of people navigate the "extremely complicated" world of Disney parks every year without hiring a guide. This includes people with disabilities, dietary restrictions, whatever. Disney already provides accommodations. And if you really do need an extra level of care for whatever reason, book through a travel agent that specializes in Disney. 

The article doesn't say what these "guides" charged for their services, but apparently they were making a living at it. I'm sure their services were cheaper than the private tours Disney offers, which are super expensive and include skipping lines at attractions, etc. - that's how Beyonce-level famous people do the parks. They aren't offering that level of service. They're basically charging people for things Guest Services would be happy to help with for free.

Bottom line, it's sketchy as shit, and I don't blame Disney one bit about cracking down on unofficial tours. 

Do the clients who book these "guides" know it's not sanctioned by Disney? Doubtful. It's a liability issue for Disney to have third parties roaming the parks with guests, charging them as guides, when they aren't employees of or trained by Disney. They have no control over what comes outta those "guides" mouths, and no way to fix it if people are ripped off, lied to, or otherwise screwed over by sketchy operators. It's Reputation Management 101, and I am on Disney's side with this.

Disney is totally fine with people making a (sometimes really nice) living off YouTube-ing and blogging and sharing THEIR experiences at Disney. Those who have been doing it well for years will even get invited by Disney to cover events, and get comped resort stays, etc. That's because they are sharing their own experiences and impressions, and not selling themselves as guides in person. The good ones make a nice living sharing "insider" stuff about Disney, through their own documented experiences. I've learned some cool stuff from them.

That said, I'm in a bunch of Disney Facebook groups and I'm constantly boggled by how fucking lazy people are when it comes to planning a vacation that is very expensive and for many people a once in a lifetime experience.  The QUESTIONS, especially in the cruise groups, will kill your faith in the survival of the species. 

I am not a travel agent, and I don't play one on the internet. If you really want professional guidance about your Disney vacation use a Disney travel agent, not me or some sketchy "guide" you probably found in a Facebook group. 

/end rant.


 



Sunday, February 04, 2024

Here's the new address, just like the old address.

 At least for now, I'm not renewing my hosting for my own fancy pants blog. Obviously I don't use it enough to justify the expense. I'll be rambling on at the old address for now, though I may shift to a new address on Blogger. This will be the signpost to the new address, when there is one. 

Saturday, July 06, 2019

Still Moving Stuff Around

I'm still playing with WordPress and learning it the hard way. Can you do me a favor and let me know if you can find it/comment??

bossylittledog.com