I haven't been able to post anything here for a few weeks, because I've busy with work. It's a strange, unsettling feeling, being busy with work, but it might become the new norm. We just landed a huge (by our standards) contract, and it means more work for me, for everybody, so for me too. It also means, I've been told, a promotion. Over the next year or so, we are hiring more staff in my department, and I'm going to be the director of the team. I'll get more money and an office, which is cool (the former more so than the latter).
The work itself, eh, I'm not super excited about it. I'm not unexcited about it, but I'm not stoked either. I'm open to it -- that's the best way to put it. It's likely going to be a lot more managing and a lot less in-the-weeds work. I've never really been a manager before, but from what I know about myself, I think I will like it less than what I do now. But I'll still get to do some of what I do now, and when we do expand, there's really no way I can stay at my current position anyway. Somebody has to be the department director, and I'm literally the only person in the world who can do it without a substantial learning curve. Even if I said no, I would end up doing it anyway, because I'd be the only person in the office who could do it for, like, the two years. So, if I going to end up doing anyway, I might as well do it right and get the benefits that come along with.
Also, I might like it -- I dunno. It's a way I can come out of my comfort zone a little bit and try something slightly different without totally tipping my life over. I actually kind of enjoyed negotiating the parameters of my new position with my bosses. (Advocating for yourself and getting what you asked for feels pretty good.) And it's fun to look over résumés of prospective hires. Plus, I'm going to get to "represent" the company more now, which is working out in my favor in the short-term, because they're sending me to Seattle for a conference, so I'll get a free trip to see friends. Although, it's just luck the conference is in Seattle. If it was in Akron, Ohio, I wouldn't be as excited about it. (No offense to the fine people of Akron. I rocked a Zips shirt for many years -- it was one of my favorite tees.)
In other news, things have just been floating along normally here at the G&G household. The kids seem to be doing well at their new school, and the commute (five minutes driving, 20 minutes walking) is easy on my schedule. Lil' S1 is kinda obsessed with Pokémon and Super Smash Bros. He pretty much just wants to play Nintendo whenever he's home. He's pretty good too. He beats me about two-thirds of the time, maybe more. S isn't really into him playing video games. She says it's because I get caught up playing them too, and then she has to be the "bad guy" to get us to quit. It's father-son bonding, I tell her. Actually, that might be part of it: She feels a bit left out when we play.
Lil' S2 is kinda into video games, but doesn't have the motor skills to play yet. His brother got him to play against him once, and of course, he showed no mercy and just destroyed him. He started crying, but it was kinda cute because he said, "I'm only four! I don't know how to push the buttons right yet!"
Let's see... what else... S and I started watching a new show, which is probably the most exciting other thing I have to report. It's called Black Monday, and it's set at a sleazy stock brokerage in the months immediate prior to the big Big Monday crash of 1987. Don Cheadle and Regina Hall play the two principal owners of the firm, and they are both frickin' hysterical. Andrew Rannells and Paul Scheer are also really funny in it. Kadeem Hardison makes an appearance as Regina Hall's husband, and I couldn't believe it was him when I saw his name. He's unrecognizable from his days as Dwayne Wayne. He definitely put on some weight, but facially I didn't even recognize him. I mean, Sean Astin put on some weight too, and I instantly knew it was him watching Stranger Things.
One thing about the show, however, is that I can only handle one episode a night. It's not a binge-watch for me. The excesses of the '80s are a key theme, and comedy styling mirrors this, so the jokes are rapid-fire and offensive. It feels hedonistic to watch. Also, it's one of those shows where nobody is a good person, so you can't really root for anybody. But what it lacks in humanity, it makes up for in hilarity. They throw in a lot of pop culture Easter eggs, which mostly go over S's head ('80s pop culture isn't her jam), but which I greatly appreciate. My favorite one so far (paraphrase):
Person 1: I'm going to go as Darth Vader for Halloween. I just got the mask. It's the actual one from the film!
Person 2: What?! You got a Darth Vader mask used in a Star Wars movie?!
Person 1: No. It's the one from the rape scene in Revenge of the Nerds.
Now that is totally problematic comedy gold.
Until next time...
The work itself, eh, I'm not super excited about it. I'm not unexcited about it, but I'm not stoked either. I'm open to it -- that's the best way to put it. It's likely going to be a lot more managing and a lot less in-the-weeds work. I've never really been a manager before, but from what I know about myself, I think I will like it less than what I do now. But I'll still get to do some of what I do now, and when we do expand, there's really no way I can stay at my current position anyway. Somebody has to be the department director, and I'm literally the only person in the world who can do it without a substantial learning curve. Even if I said no, I would end up doing it anyway, because I'd be the only person in the office who could do it for, like, the two years. So, if I going to end up doing anyway, I might as well do it right and get the benefits that come along with.
Also, I might like it -- I dunno. It's a way I can come out of my comfort zone a little bit and try something slightly different without totally tipping my life over. I actually kind of enjoyed negotiating the parameters of my new position with my bosses. (Advocating for yourself and getting what you asked for feels pretty good.) And it's fun to look over résumés of prospective hires. Plus, I'm going to get to "represent" the company more now, which is working out in my favor in the short-term, because they're sending me to Seattle for a conference, so I'll get a free trip to see friends. Although, it's just luck the conference is in Seattle. If it was in Akron, Ohio, I wouldn't be as excited about it. (No offense to the fine people of Akron. I rocked a Zips shirt for many years -- it was one of my favorite tees.)
Lil' S2 is kinda into video games, but doesn't have the motor skills to play yet. His brother got him to play against him once, and of course, he showed no mercy and just destroyed him. He started crying, but it was kinda cute because he said, "I'm only four! I don't know how to push the buttons right yet!"
Let's see... what else... S and I started watching a new show, which is probably the most exciting other thing I have to report. It's called Black Monday, and it's set at a sleazy stock brokerage in the months immediate prior to the big Big Monday crash of 1987. Don Cheadle and Regina Hall play the two principal owners of the firm, and they are both frickin' hysterical. Andrew Rannells and Paul Scheer are also really funny in it. Kadeem Hardison makes an appearance as Regina Hall's husband, and I couldn't believe it was him when I saw his name. He's unrecognizable from his days as Dwayne Wayne. He definitely put on some weight, but facially I didn't even recognize him. I mean, Sean Astin put on some weight too, and I instantly knew it was him watching Stranger Things.
One thing about the show, however, is that I can only handle one episode a night. It's not a binge-watch for me. The excesses of the '80s are a key theme, and comedy styling mirrors this, so the jokes are rapid-fire and offensive. It feels hedonistic to watch. Also, it's one of those shows where nobody is a good person, so you can't really root for anybody. But what it lacks in humanity, it makes up for in hilarity. They throw in a lot of pop culture Easter eggs, which mostly go over S's head ('80s pop culture isn't her jam), but which I greatly appreciate. My favorite one so far (paraphrase):
Person 1: I'm going to go as Darth Vader for Halloween. I just got the mask. It's the actual one from the film!
Person 2: What?! You got a Darth Vader mask used in a Star Wars movie?!
Person 1: No. It's the one from the rape scene in Revenge of the Nerds.
Now that is totally problematic comedy gold.
Until next time...
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