We're Gonna Party, Like It's Your Birthday!

This past Friday was Samantha’s third birthday. Her birthday means that she survived past the age of two, which at times was not assured. Not that she’s a bad kid. She was just a two-year-old. That in and of itself explains the danger. She is now my third consecutive child to reach three years of age. Only Bean is left.

Samantha’s birthday party was a big hit. My Dad gave her a Dora the Explorer carriage and pony. As soon as Samanth opened it everything stopped until I could get it out of the package. I had about six children crowded around me and actually had to push kids back more than once. Fist fights even broke out over Dora.

My nephew gave Samanth a makeup kit. We had to immediately confiscate the finger nail polish that came with it. Kate and I decided that we need to give my nephew something equally messy for Christmas.

While I was happy to see that Samanth enjoyed all of her presents and enjoyed the company of a family party, the highlight of the night for me was the cake and ice cream. My father-in-law, Mike, makes a Texas sheet cake that is a little piece o’ heaven.

Getting to Work

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had interviewed for a new job and promised details at a later date. Well, the cat’s out of the bag now, so I can talk about it. I got the job. I knew that I was going to get the job. I don’t say that to be arrogant, but based on a lot of things that have happened to me recently, and things that have been said to me indicate that it was a done deal.

My new job title is not very clear. It has changed several times. Essentially I will be a technical specialist. We are in the process of building a new registration and billing system to replace our current piece of garbage system that is well past its prime. We will be installing a system that is brand new, and we are a beta site for the new software. As such, we have to do a lot of the work ourselves. The biggest component of this process is thinking about what we will need. That is why I knew I was a top candidate for the job.

When the job was posted we were told that my director was looking for someone with a broad knowledge of all Patient Access procedures. Because of my tenure with the department and the fact that I have had my fingers in the pies of all units in the department, I knew I had a leg up on the others who applied. When my boss saw all of the applications she decided that she wouldn’t be able to interview everyone, so she gave a pre-interview test. Those who passed were granted an interview. The test was two parts. She gave us exercises to test our technical skills, and one to assess our writing skills. I knew that the two aspects of the screening played to my strengths, and it proved to be the case, kind of. During the interview my boss admitted to me that she never even looked at my test, having faith that I had the skills to do the job.

So I accepted the position, and on the same day that the offer was made, I was given assignments. Since my current position obviously hasn’t been filled yet I will be working two full-time jobs until the end of the calendar year. There are some upsides and downsides to the new job. I will have to trade in my huge, luxurious office for a door-less cubicle. One upside is that I won’t have any direct reports. Although my current staff are really good and have shown me a lot of loyalty, I am somewhat burned out on supervising staff. I am ready for a more project-oriented path. I am the type of person who derives enjoyment from working toward my goals. For the past 5 ½ years I have been working toward my undergraduate degree. Now that I am set to graduate this spring I have been looking for the next long-term goal. Now I have it. By the time we develop this system, implement it, and train the staff on how to use it, I will have invested at least three years on the project.

About three months ago I applied for a manger’s job in our department, and was passed over in favor of a young lady who used to work for me. At the time I was devastated, feeling that I had done everything right, and wondering what I was going to do. I felt (and still do) that as a supervisor I had reached a plateau and was ready to make the next move. I had worked hard to prepare myself for the opportunity and was furious at not being selected. When I look at the energy I expended being mad, and how things turned out for me eventually, I can only shake my head and laugh. I feel that I have found a better fit, and that things turned out the way they were intended.

All Jazzed

Last night I went with my Dad to the Jazz game. Going into the game the Jazz were 8-1, with the best record in the league. I knew that we were in for a tough game, as we were hosting the Phoenix Suns. The Jazz had already beaten the Suns in Phoenix in the early season and I knew the Suns would be out for revenge. Before the game we found out that Steve Nash was not to play, and people started to celebrate, assuming that the Jazz would walk all over Phoenix without their MVP. But I was worried. I was concerned about a huge letdown. As it turned out I was justified.

During the game I actually hurt myself by pounding my fists into my thighs in frustration, and after the game I had a headache that ibuprofen wouldn’t cure because I was screaming so hard. I am actually losing my voice because of it. The Suns actually played like a team trying to win one for Nash, and gave the Jazz fits. This effort was supported by the referees. I must admit that I generally blame everything on the officials, something that my wife teases me about. But I commented to my Dad that I couldn’t remember the last time that I was that disgusted by the officiating.

The Jazz went down by fifteen late in the third quarter, and it looked as though they were going to get crushed on their own court in front of the first sellout of the season. However, in the fourth quarter the Jazz made a run, and were down by three in the waning seconds of regulation when Mehmet Okur attempted a three point field goal. He missed, but was fouled and made all three free throws.

In the overtime the Suns were without Amare Stoudemire and Raja Bell, who had fouled out in regulation and without those two, the Suns became a one trick pony with just Shawn Marion to score. The Jazz ended up winning in OT, and we the fans were dancing in the aisles. I realize that I care too much, and I realize that the torrid start of the Jazz cannot continue forever, but damn, they are fun to watch this year.

Next up: a home game with the Toronto Raptors. So maybe we can go 11-1…


http://www.utahjazz.com/

An Eventful Week

In a lot of ways I am glad this week is over. I am exhausted. I applied for a new job this week, and the interview was today (more details to come on that next week). But the week of Halloween is always pretty busy when you have kids, and sometimes even when you don’t have kids.

This year Kate made matching witches’ dresses for our girls. They turned out really well, and the girls were excited to wear them. Patrick dressed as a dragon, and commented that I should dress as a knight. Sometimes he’s lucky that I am not a knight, because I may be a dragon slayer. The kids cleaned up on Halloween. They hauled in plenty of candy for me to eat. I felt bad not being able to take them trick-or-treating, but I have a class on Tuesday nights from 6-10, and since it is a once-a-week class, I can’t really afford to miss. The professor was gracious of the pagan holiday, and promised that we’d be out of class early. He let us go a whole 20 minutes early.

Even though I missed the festivities of Halloween, I didn’t miss the part that I enjoy the most: carving the pumpkins. Whitney and Patrick carved their own faces with minimal help from me. A few years ago my dad came over to carve pumpkins with us, and after nearly suffering a heart attack while watching Whit wield her own knife, he decided not to participate with us in this annual tradition. But despite his (justified) concerns, no one has ever drawn blood during the carving.

But the fun of Halloween wasn’t just for the kids. Kate and I attended a costume party at a good friend’s house. The party is an annual event, and with all of the busyness of our lives, it is the one time of the year that we get to catch up with some good people. Usually my costumes leave much to be desired, and this year was no exception. I was going to dress up as a fairy, but couldn’t get my costume together in time. Plus Kate threatened me with my life when I mentioned that while dressed as a fairy I was going to ask people if they wanted to see my magic wand. Anyway, I borrowed a Malevolent costume from my sister. Kate made herself a devil costume. We weren’t able to stay at the party for long, but I am glad we went. It was good to catch up with some of our few friends.

Now that Halloween is over, we can start looking forward to Christmas. We even got the kids' Christmas pictures done already.

Two weeks ago Kate got a call from the school advising us that Whitney failed an eye exam. Last week Kate took Whit to her uncle Bob (an ophthalmologist) and he concurred that Whit needs glasses. This news did not come as a shock to me. Kate and I are both blind as bats without our glasses, and our kids are screwed in this respect. I just didn’t expect Whit to need glasses before she was nine. At first she was apprehensive, worried that the kids at school would make fun of her. This fear was justified. Kids are mean. But she is now excited and loves her purple glasses.
As if all of this excitement wasn’t enough for one week, the basketball season started Tuesday. Football and baseball are all well and good, but I live for November first. My dad offered me his Jazz tickets for opening night, and though I felt bad because it meant I wouldn’t be home for a single night this week, I didn’t feel bad enough to pass up the tickets. Looking at the Jazz this year I am more optimistic than I have been for several years. Not only did the Jazz beat the Rockets on opening night, but they beat the Suns in Phoenix tonight by four points, not an easy feat.
I took Patrick to the Jazz game, and he was just as entertaining as the game. He was proud of the fact that he smuggled his Halloween candy into the Delta Center. After the game I asked him if he had a good time. “No” he replied. Then my uncle Ard said, “Yes you did. I saw you clapping for the Jazz dancers.” Patrick rolled his eyes up at me and smiled. “I did.” He admitted. That’s my boy.

P.S. On my profile I have updated my lists of favorite movies and books. If you would like to debate, discuss or otherwise get more information about why I listed what I did, please let me know.