The Syndicate

Congrats, G-Man and Mrs. G-Man!!

Congratulations!

Awww! A little g baby! Congrats G-man!

Wait wait wait hold up wait

G-Man got laid?

Congratulations G-Man! November 6th is a wonderful day for a birthday! Your daughter and I are exactly 33 years and 23 minutes apart.

That middle name does your Lost fandom proud, G-Man. Congrats on the baby! Cousins born a day apart, wow!

Nov 5th babies get fireworks to celebrate.

Thanks for all the kind words you guys! Lilah is content to sleep when she isn't nursing. We got home a little before noon today, so it's been nice to have a quiet afternoon to relax. My parents are watching our oldest for the next few days while we get Lilah adjusted to home life. We've already caught ourselves calling Lilah her sister's name a number of times.

Epignosis wrote:Wait wait wait hold up wait

G-Man got laid?

Miracles do still happen! :P

Elohcin wrote:Congratulations G-Man! November 6th is a wonderful day for a birthday! Your daughter and I are exactly 33 years and 23 minutes apart.

Oh wow, that's cool! Sorry I missed the birthday thread yesterday- I was a little preoccupied.

Golden wrote:That middle name does your Lost fandom proud, G-Man. Congrats on the baby! Cousins born a day apart, wow!

Nov 5th babies get fireworks to celebrate.

My wife and I tried to make a list of names together but we kept picking apart each other's preferences on our shortlist. We scrapped the joint list and looked again on our own. When we compared our lists, Lilah was the only name that was on both of our lists. It's funny, because the name wasn't even on our original joint list.

Evangeline was on my name list but I almost left it off specifically because of the connection to Lost. I didn't want anyone to think I was using a Lost or Star Wars reference just to be a dorky fan (though I lobbied hard for Rosalyn early on out of my love for Calvin & Hobbes). I kept Evangeline on there anyway because its a very pretty name and it means. When we pulled our lists together, we threw all the other names on after Lilah to see how they all sounded as middle names. Sure enough, Evangeline won out. Lilah Evangeline has a very nice flow and uses multiple vowel sounds. The word dork in me is proud of that.

My niece passed all her tests and was released from the NICU on Saturday. She and my sister were able to come home today as well. I have yet to meet her but we're going to meet up sometime this week.

That's awesome news on all counts! Congratulations gman!

Kudos to this kid. At just 3.5 years old, he has learned to write his name all by himself. The others learned at age 4.

Today, I got a pretty significant promotion. I'll now be the lead commercial solicitor where I work, so I'll have to somewhat manage how commercial work is resourced and be responsible for a number of client relationships and strategic decisions about how we contract.

I'm not yet sure if this is more exciting than winning world reborn... I'll figure that one out later.

Golden wrote:Today, I got a pretty significant promotion. I'll now be the lead commercial solicitor where I work, so I'll have to somewhat manage how commercial work is resourced and be responsible for a number of client relationships and strategic decisions about how we contract.

I'm not yet sure if this is more exciting than winning world reborn... I'll figure that one out later.

Congrats, Golden!!

Awesome, Golden!

I actually got a Christmas bonus :O

S~V~S wrote:I actually got a Christmas bonus :O

Sweet!

Not sure if this counts as a kudos to me but my work phone was upgraded to a smartphone. My personal phone is still a dumbphone. Learning how to post on a smartphone is tricky.

Is it an iPhone or a Droid? I pretty much prefer my iPhone for pretty much every other reason EXCEPT posting in games. That was way easier on the droid.

S~V~S wrote:I actually got a Christmas bonus :O

Awesome!!!!

S~V~S wrote:I actually got a Christmas bonus :O

This is a neat thing!

I finished my 200-hour yoga teacher certification today. Here's a pic. I'm on the orange mat.

ommmmmmmmm...g congrats!

Mongoose wrote:I finished my 200-hour yoga teacher certification today. Here's a pic. I'm on the orange mat.

Congratulations!

Now when do you get one of those funny hats?

Mongoose wrote:I finished my 200-hour yoga teacher certification today. Here's a pic. I'm on the orange mat.

It looks like driver's ed for magic carpets. Congrats Al!!!

A Person wrote:

Mongoose wrote:I finished my 200-hour yoga teacher certification today. Here's a pic. I'm on the orange mat.

It looks like driver's ed for magic carpets. Congrats Al!!!

बधाई

Thanks yall. No hats for me but I hope to land a class soon!

Mongoose wrote:Thanks yall. No hats for me but I hope to land a class soon!

I would sign up for a Mongoose yoga class in a heartbeat.

So would I, but the costs of regular attendance would probably price me out.

Golden wrote:So would I, but the costs of regular attendance would probably price me out.

Yeah I can't afford anything like that either. But still it's the thought that counts.

A Person wrote:

Golden wrote:So would I, but the costs of regular attendance would probably price me out.

Yeah I can't afford anything like that either. But still it's the thought that counts.

I would also attend a Yogoose class.

I 11tymilionthy vote Yogagoose class! I would so attend it!!

Especially if it started or ended with like a solid 3 minutes of Pipecleaner. Because Pipecleaner

My good news -

So when I came back here after a long absence and subbed into the champs game, my work world fell apart. There were so many bad things and so many changes. Things have been rough for several months for me I lost some great people. I changed bosses and Ioved my old boss so very much. I got this new guy and this new area that I didn't know and was kinda crappy. I was cranky mccrankypants about the whole deal.

People I trusted helped me worry that I'd not get the attention I deserve with my new boss just cuz several reasons that made sense at the time.

My good news is that the light is shining again.

I was super leary of my new boss, but he's genuinely a good guy and I'm helpful and he knows it. He's not so dumb as to know he has 1 store in his area that's a star and I run it. I'm staffing like a mofo and I'm lending help to everyone else in the area while he staffs the rest of them. I'm getting his big area orders and organizing them. I gave up a day off last week to do store visits with him. Selfishly because a) I want to see what his job is. I have ideas and most of them have bad experiences attatched to them. My old mentor boss would only say "It's an awesome job when it goes right." and also b) because I know his name has the ear of our market boss. And I don't want to hold this GM job forever. I'd like to move up.

I've managed to be the only store in my noob boss's area who is over staffed. So now I can help the area with lending staffing help - which makes me friends with my fellow GM's. And my boss who has like 5 less things to worry about.

After ride along day - my boss tells me his goal for me is to make sure I take every second of my PTO off. I've not done it as a GM or an AM in at least 3 years. Of my 5 year employment. I always somehow manage to screw myself out of it taking care of the store. Like I intend to take pto but then giving my kids time off to cover my time off - somehow always means that my time off is just my normal time off.

My new boss tells me every day how lucky he is to have a strong leader in me on his team. I keep telling him I'm not a strong leader, I'm just stubberly determined that if I keep telling people they are awesome, eventually they will be awesome.

SVS - it's my "drop of water" super power that we talked about way back when. I'm slowly creating the grand canyon.

My new boss tells me that every time he has a chance he's telling his boss how great I am. It can't hurt because I have career goals that are not being in a store 60 plus hours a week. My new boss has this job while his training for it isn't quite complete. So he and I have developed the same sort of bond I had with my old GM before I took over the store. It's not "his" store, it's "our" store. Now it's not "his" area it's "our" area.

And I can see our influence finally affecting others. Our crankiest GM finally feels like he has allies and friends. And help. He finally realizes he doesn't have to O/C/O anymore. I am giving him 2 days off back to back due to lending out AM help. He was all "but I can do it. " and I was all "Can and should are two different things. You deserve 48 hours off, I can give you this, please let me." I'm taking the same two days off that week.

My boss has a new AM for his most problem store. New AM comes to me for training before he goes to his store.

I have another AM I'm giving a day of training to for a different area boss who is my bestie - it's just a thing I can do for her.

Tonight - I was able to give my cranky GM some love because my store was covered. My staff had it. My newest kid was running my pizza line like a pro and telling other peeps what to do. She's still a Sr. in HS.

My next manager (that's 4 for my store btw) - trained her. I just hired her. I sent him a pict of her times tonight and he was all "I'm proud of her."

That's 3rd generation of my hands on training. I trained my AM who trained him who trained her.

I'm so fucking proud of my crew. I really really am. I didn't train the kid who's proud of the new kid he's training. It's amazing to talk to this 19 year old kid about how proud he is of this new girl and how *that's* why you are a manager. When you quit taking rewards from *your* work, and your reward is when *everyone else* does it. You should be paid for the work you do.

I was always in my old bosses thread. It was just kinda understood. I didn't talk often, but I could see the very useful things that a seasoned area leader would post because I'd come to need it. And I'm smart enough to know what info he's passing out.

His area leadership changed and I was included in the new group as well. I send him a personal text about some smack talk in his thread and we have fun giggling about it and I also thank him for continuing to include me in his new group even though I'm technically not in his area anymore. He says "You're always on my team."

So here is little ole - I have my seasoned boss feeding me info and I'm helping my green boss. I like where I am right now. Something tells me new boss isn't the only person singing my praises to the market boss who told me in my last eval, I was moved out of my old area to be where I am for a reason.

For as ugly as it was in January - April is nothing but hope and promise. My store and my area. OMG. We are the Cinderella story. And I always loved an underdog. I am from Ohio afterall....

W00t w00t! Go Bea go!!!

bea, that is awesome. Glad to hear things have turned around.

yas bea slay <3

Keep rockin' bea!

Good for you bea! It appears I may have been wrong about pizza hell. I hope so

Not wrong - you advised me to be cautious and that has served me well. I've been very careful in the career decisions I've made due once again to your solid advice. Funny how the first time you changed my life it was by advising me to be less afraid and be more reckless and follow my heart, the second time was to be cautious and both have served me exceedingly well.

Take heed peoples! When SVS gives you life advice, she knows what she's talking about. :srrsnod:

But yea, svs, so far so good. I'm making more money than I made at the club. I mostly like if not love the work I do with the people I do it with. I mean, sure I have streaches of hating everything and everyone. I still wish my staff would be the grown up responsible adults I know they can be. (For realz, one of my drivers doesn't even call me by name. It's Ma! Ma! Ma! every time she has to ask me something. I'm like you have CHILDREN 2 years younger than my CSR's. Be the grown up responsible woman I know you are! ) I still hate the majority of my customers, but there are good ones to balance that out too. And - it seems I'm moving up the ladder slowly but surely. I'm catching everyone's eyes higher up. And that's pretty cool. You know how I am, the praise is nice and a personal motivator but results are becoming my bread and butter. I've made it clear that I want more than the job I currently have. And I'm starting to see the results of that.

I'm promoting one of my kids who works inside the store to being a crew chief which means that occasionally he will run a shift but mostly do what he already does and be a relief pitcher when I need him to be. He gets a raise for the title but the selling point to him? You're already doing 3/4's of the job. You might as well get paid for it. I love this kid so much. I hired him, but I didn't train him. One of my AM's did. My newest CSR? I hired her. My new crew chief trained him. My joy, my moments I MOST love my job is seeing my crew chief's pride in the fact that the new CSR is doing so well and he knows he trained her. He's already taking pride in her success, not his. He will be a great GM someday.

indiglo wrote:W00t w00t! Go Bea go!!!

Omg that smiley!!

Congratulations bea. It's great especially to hear that all of the terrible situations you've ended up in from this job have been worth it in the long run. Keep up the good work there!

Thanks again for all the well wishes. It appears my boss is trying to get me a raise. Should know by Tues if it gets approved or not. The guy running the city says I'm my boss's MVP and that he should "keep her happy." Yea!

Last Monday I turned in my senior thesis and "earned my laurels" (they give you a plastic laurels headband it's like a big deal here), and this weekend (after the deadline on Friday) was the big campus-wide three-day party and it was so much fun!!! Today I passed my oral defense, and graduation is in two weeks D:

Congratulations nutella!! It's a huge achievement and you should be very proud of yourself. Can't wait to hear what your plans are after your degree (a Masters perhaps?). I swear it seems like it was just yesterday when we were seeing you off in IRC to your freshman year and now you're a grad. Happy days!

Nice, nutella, congrats!!

Congrats nutella! Thats awesome!

nutella wrote:Last Monday I turned in my senior thesis and "earned my laurels" (they give you a plastic laurels headband it's like a big deal here), and this weekend (after the deadline on Friday) was the big campus-wide three-day party and it was so much fun!!! Today I passed my oral defense, and graduation is in two weeks D:

Congrats!

So proud of you la!!! Congratulations! !

Way to go LA! Super happy for you! It really feels like you just started. (Easy for me to say though, isn't it?)

nutella wrote:Last Monday I turned in my senior thesis and "earned my laurels" (they give you a plastic laurels headband it's like a big deal here), and this weekend (after the deadline on Friday) was the big campus-wide three-day party and it was so much fun!!! Today I passed my oral defense, and graduation is in two weeks D:

WHAT? I was not gone that looooong.


But for serious now, congratulations LA, we are so proud of you.

We're like your crazy drunk Mafia Aunties!

Congrats xoxoxox

I'm now officially finished with all coursework... forever. Can't believe it. Definitely hasn't fully sunk in yet, but I've been waiting for this moment way too long.

Now onto the next portion of the PhD program -- 2nd year paper, then studying for comprehensive exams! 2 years down, hopefully 2 to go (perhaps 3).

MovingPictures07 wrote:I'm now officially finished with all coursework... forever. Can't believe it. Definitely hasn't fully sunk in yet, but I've been waiting for this moment way too long.

Now onto the next portion of the PhD program -- 2nd year paper, then studying for comprehensive exams! 2 years down, hopefully 2 to go (perhaps 3).

You should have some bean dip to celebrate.

Congrats, nutella and MP!

MovingPictures07 wrote:I'm now officially finished with all coursework... forever. Can't believe it. Definitely hasn't fully sunk in yet, but I've been waiting for this moment way too long.

Now onto the next portion of the PhD program -- 2nd year paper, then studying for comprehensive exams! 2 years down, hopefully 2 to go (perhaps 3).

Congrats Alex!