April 06, 2006

Collected Thoughts

Sunset Caldwell Idaho

I have been thinking today, spent a lot of my day thinking watching the storm outside knowing that we had a tornado watch in place. Woody called me to tell me that he would head home to secure things if the watch became a warning. Where the car lot is is particualrly dangerous out in the flat and open Sugar Creek area just inside the Missouri State line. He saw lightning strike a pole just up the street from the car lot. Down here in Lowell, our office complex is on a flattish area just south of where the tornados came through two weeks ago, as the sky blackened we wondered if we would see more of them and we all made plans to "head for the head" The large bathrooms are re enforced and set up as safe rooms ajacent to the stairwells and equipt with emergency handlights...

But no the cell passed over us with a roar and a bang no hail and no one was zapped. I consider this a miracle here at "thisplace" because earlier this week there was an announcement that two new accounts are being set up with 30 positions to be filled. All positions have been interviewed for and hired. There is so much migration going to happen that the cube maps for the company are being redrawn so that space can be made for the newly formed teams to sit together. Some were migrating to and from our other buildings and when the storm hit there was much scrambiling to get indoors away from Mother Nature throwing a fit... Computers that get wet arent much use to anyone!

The Drama of new accounts is like the evening of the Academy awards... People have speculated for several weeks over this. I have kept my peace about it. I interviewed for only one of them, which surprised me, as I had heard that our manager was going to get one.You would think that I had proved myself, right? "But then," I thought, "maybe they blame him for this fickle account that we have and he isnt getting it." But I was wrong...One account was handed over to my current boss and he was able to bring along 9 of the 15 people he currently has. Three will be staying on to run the remains of the old account that will be staying with us. That left three people two of us "floaters" and another man that has been with the firm since it started. There is much scrambling to find the exec something to do.

I am very happy to report that the other account, a major food supplier and distributor decided that I was a welcome addition to the mix and so I have been hired to work on a account finally, after four months of waiting.

This lady I will be working for is a peach of a gal who pushed to get me on with her group, "because" she said, "I wasnt a quitter", and the story of our journey that has circulated through the company, "thrilled her". She felt I was perfect for a start up account, and we are well matched. Both she and her exec assitant har cancer survivors and understand that work is not the be all and end all but I do expect to work my butt off for the next six months. But I wont get flack for requests for time off and such as that. In this business you are considered a slacker if you take time off for a vacation.

We started to move our stuff into new spaces, some recently vacated others have been standing empty for months. My new space has a view of a window that, from the second floor, allows me to see the central courtyard, and the rolling countryside beyond. Straight on from there is Oklahoma...

later

its about 830pm and we have a tornado warning is rolling through, Woody is a bit concerned having learned his lesson two weeks ago about "warnings"... I think the storm is going to miss us but its wreaked havoc on a lot of people...

As the sky is rumbling and the wind blows and I collect my thoughts of the day, I wonder about tomorrow but know it and today are in Good Hands. Life is good and I know Who to thank for that!