#3014 three things I will miss about work

OMG, it's here. Tomorrow is my last day at work. I will be on vacation until Dec. 25, and that's my last day on the payroll, but I won't be doing any more work for Granite after tomorrow. (If I'm being honest, I doubt I'll do any work tomorrow, either, teehee.)  Last Wednesday I told you three things I would NOT miss about work, and in the spirit of fairness and reality, here are three things I WILL miss, in no particular order.

1. A paycheck and having my health insurance covered by the Company. I will be getting "paid" through my 401(K) and eventually through Social Security (I hope), but it will be different than the checks I was getting for actually doing the job. After shopping for open market health insurance, I had a renewed sense of gratitude for the health insurance coverage provided by the Granite. Health insurance is expensive, for reals. We are going to be okay financially, but I will miss having a paycheck show up in my bank account every other week, and it will be slightly painful to watch the health insurance payment go out of my bank account every month.

2. Dip Days and December traditions. We all like food and fun things. At work, we would have little celebrations we call "Dip Day." Everyone brings their favorite dip or appetizer, maybe small bites or desserts, and we put it all out for everyone to graze on throughout the day. It is a fun way to mingle away from our desks and have some tasty snacks. I've always had a love/hate relationship with Dip Day. I love it in the morning, and sort of hate myself in the afternoon. The food is always so good. 

Our department also has many fun December traditions. We do Secret Santa. We decorate the office. We order buckets of cheese and snack on cheese and crackers all month. The whole company has an employee appreciation luncheon which is a catered buffet to which all employees are invited. We have a Pie Day, where we bring in pizza from the legendary Salt Lake pizza place, The Pie. The admin department has a Christmas breakfast, usually at a local country club, that is always fun and festive. 

I will miss these events and others that made work special.

3. People. Really, the people I work with in the admin department will be the thing I miss most about this job. I was lucky enough to be on the hiring team that brought many of the folks in the department on board, and selfishly, I tried to make sure we hired people I wanted to hang out with eight to ten hours a day. You spend a lot of time at work, so having cool coworkers is important. I have and have had cool coworkers my whole career at Granite and at the newspaper in Pocatello, too. Heck, my BFF LA was a friend I made at the paper! 

The people in the admin department are hard-working, dedicated, fun-loving, intelligent, and hilarious. It has been my pleasure to see some of them fall in love and get married, start their families. I've seen others go through terrible health crises and come out stronger, sassier, and full of life. I've seen some of them become grandparents and I've seen others find their second chance at love. I've seen them become leaders and experts in their jobs. I've seen them take on new challenges and thrive, redefining what that role looked like. I've seen them learn new ways of doing their work, and roll with the punches that come from working in corporate America. 

Through it all, each person remains kind, loyal, and loving toward each other. You're having a hard day? Someone will give you a hug (if you allow it.) You need a ride to work? Someone will help you out. You need something brought to your house? Someone will bring it to you. It's the little kindnesses that are freely given that makes the Utah office really special. 

I feel fortunate to have had a nice career at Granite. There have been some shitty times, without a doubt, but I feel like I can say that most of my nearly 30 years there (29 years and eight months, to be precise) have been a pleasure. I've learned a lot. I did the best I could, and at the end of my career, I can say I think the Company got its money's worth out of me.

#3013 revenge bedtime procrastination

The other day I was telling my co-worker DM that I felt tired because I got to bed around midnight. I told her I'd catch a second wind and started doing something I enjoy, and time slips away from me. Even though I know it is getting late and I feel sleepy, I don't want to go to bed because I really like this "me time" and the flow I get into. Another co-worker who heard the conversation told us there is a name for this phenomenon, so I googled it and sure enough, there is. It's called Revenge Bedtime Procrastination (RBP), or just bedtime procrastination. It is driven by the absence of leisure in your free time. 

This has been a "thing" for me for months, and it only happens Sunday through Thursday nights. On Friday or Saturday nights, I have no problem calling it a day by 9:00 PM, and it must be because I know I will have the whole next day to do stuff I want to do and my time is my own. On Sunday through Thursday nights, I know I have to work the next day and my free time is very limited, so when I finally get to have me-time, it is not long enough to be satisfying. 

I thought I was the only person experiencing this thing, but I'm not. It seems that it is related to ADHD, which I do not have; I'm just selfish and want to have time to do things I want to do. (LOL)

~~~

I've got a big week coming up starting tomorrow. It is my last week of work. Tomorrow I'll be in the office "consulting" and encouraging my co-worker DM who will be taking over my job. On Tuesday, a couple of former co-workers have invited me to lunch. Wednesday I have an appointment with my GP, and then I think I'm working from home, but it depends on what DM wants to do, and Thursday is my final day of work. I think there is going to be a little luncheon which will be nice. MT and T will be home Thursday afternoon, and the three of us will celebrate my retirement together. I told MT I want to go to the local pub in the neighborhood and he seemed surprised that I didn't want to go somewhere else, I don't know, fancier? More expensive? Friday I will on permanent vacation, thought technically still on the payroll until Dec. 25. Wow. This is really happening. I feel excited and a little anxious.   

#3012 three things I won't miss about work

My last work day is getting closer and closer. Here are three things I will not miss about my work.

1. Month end close. I work in the administrative department of a big publicly traded construction company. My month-end closing window is two days. The first business day is spent getting as all the billings completed and processing as much accounts payable as possible. The second business day is making a list of anything that did not get entered into the accounting system so we have an accurate record of what we earned and what we owe. In the summer, these two days are intense and long. It's a little less stressful in the cold months, but there is pressure to account for everything. I won't miss this process at all. 

2. Long days. When the weather is cold and the crews aren't working as much, the days are long because there isn't much to do administratively so time does not fly. When the weather is hot, everyone is working from the minute we walk in the door until usually past when it's time to go home. It's the nature of the construction beast. I won't miss those early mornings and getting home late. 

3. Commuting. I'm not talking about walking 20 steps from my bedroom to my home office, of course. I'm talking about that 30 minute commute. It doesn't seem to matter anymore what time of day you are on the road; it's always busy. If there's rain or snow, the commute is always longer. In the winter I drive home in the dark, and I don't really like it, irrespective of the weather. I won't miss the drive to and from the office.

Six work days to go...

#3011 pdin 30 (!) first and last

me this morning

There was snow on the ground when I woke up this morning - the first snow of the season at my house! It was just a dusting, but it was sticking to the grass and actual snowflakes could be spotted falling from the sky. The snow didn't last very long, but the sky remained the perfect shade of November grey all day long, I liked it. It felt cozy and quiet.

Most of my morning was spent right here at my computer doing the bookkeeping. So many accounts to keep track of! This afternoon, T and I went to see Wicked for Good at the movie theater. I liked it, but I liked Part 1 better. The song "For Good" made me weep. The harmonies from Erivo and Grande are so lovely.

I've got a lot of stuff coming up next week. Monday and Tuesday will be busy at work because it is month-end close and I will be training DM, my replacement, on the processes. Wednesday T has a dentist appointment and Thursday he has his final follow-up with the back surgeon. I have a doctor appointment on Friday, which was scheduled awhile ago. I think MT will be home on Friday. I would like to do some Christmas shopping this week or at least on the weekend. Plus, I still need to set up my new laptop, and I feel like it must be done this weekend.

Today is November 30, and I have completed my personal challenge of posting here every day this month! I don't think I had too many dud or throwaway posts, and I had fun doing it, so that's what is most important to me. 

Cheers to the first snowfall of the season and the last post of my Post Daily in November challenge!

Have a great week!

xo

 

#3010 pdin 29 snooze-y Saturday

a brave little marigold

It seems like this little marigold is not quite ready for winter. She's cute.

I had big plans today, but it didn't really work out that way. I was up by around 7:00, played with the dogs, then made a cup of coffee. Sadly, the milk had turned -thankfully I sniffed it in the jug before I sipped it from my coffee mug. I don't care for coffee without a bit of milk, so I decided to treat myself to a coffee from Dutch Bros. Oh! I don't think I told you that a Dutch Bros is being built closer to my house, right across from the McDonalds on the busy streets! YAY!

After I had my coffee and the rest of the delicious cinnamon roll from Pocatello, I read for a bit, filled the bird feeder, and decided I needed a nap. The dogs and I snuggled on my bed and I had an absolutely delicious, glorious nap for a couple of hours. It felt so good!

Since then I've just been puttering around the house, reading, making a shopping list, playing games on my phone, and just kind of passing the day away. I made T a dentist appointment on Wednesday, and I'm glad I did because that darn crown popped off again tonight while he was eating a slice of pizza. Dammit. 

Because I didn't do many of the things that were on my to-do list today, tomorrow will be busier than I would have liked. It's okay, though. It won't be too much longer before I won't have to cram so many to-do items into my weekend days. Thinking about how I'm going to spend my days when I don't work anymore is taking up a lot of space in my brain right now! It's going to be a big change, and it may be a bit weird, too. I'm really looking forward to it. 

In some ways, November seemed kind of slow, but on Thanksgiving, I felt like Halloween was just a week ago. I feel like the next two weeks will go by in a rush and Christmas will be here before you know it. 

Talk to you here tomorrow!
 

#3009 pdin 28 they didn't have stuff like this when I lived there

My BFF LA and I got together for coffee this morning (I never thought I'd say/write those words!) at what may be the cutest coffee shop I have ever been in. Gate City Coffee is in Old Town Pocatello on Center Street. It's one of those places you just know will hit all the right notes as soon as you see the pretty window display. The place is enchanting.

LA and I sat at that table on the right. In the back section, there is a little wine bar. Dreamy!

The owner told us she had spent several hours last night putting up the Christmas decorations. 
They were expecting a lot of people to come in this afternoon and evening as Pocatello is holding it's annual Christmas parade which goes down Center Street.

I really liked all the old black and white photos of the early days of Pocatello.

If this little scene doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will. And look at that exposed brick wall. LOVE!

Please look at the curved ceiling with the pretty raised frescos. There's LA on the left placing her order!

The shop is so cozy and inviting to look at, I couldn't stop gawking. I wanted to stay there all day! There is a little bit of Idaho merch for sale in the shop. The couple also owns the building next door and it is a full on gift shop that is equally enticing. These folks really have their style dialed in.

Yeah, but how was the coffee? Well, it really good. I had a cappuccino and a cinnamon roll.

The baked goods are homemade on the premises. The owner makes all of them herself. The roll was big; I only finished half of it and I'm looking forward to warming up the other half for breakfast here at home tomorrow. 

I had such a great morning hanging out with my friend, chatting, having breakfast at this gorgeous shop, then doing a little of of shopping here, too. Gate City Coffee will be a regular stop on every trip to Pocatello.  It's like the perfect chick lit coffee place. If they sold books, it would be a chick lit dream come true! I would love to find a cute shop like this here in Salt Lake. I don't know if one exists, but I'll be on the lookout. 

#3008 pdin 27 be thankful and have gratitude

my autumn art "quilt"

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. I don't really think of this holiday in terms of pilgrims and the native people they displaced. I don't harbor childhood fantasies of white English settlers and brown indigenous people peacefully gathered around a table laden with turkey and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pies. Instead, I think of it as a bit of time off work. I think of it as a time to gather with family and friends to have a nice meal and enjoy each other's company. Daily gratitude is part of my routine, so it's not hard to think of all the things that make me feel like I have a blessed life. 

A quick note about the little autumn art quilt above. This came out of a prompt by Jill the Artist to celebrate the season with things that make you feel autumn vibes and gratitude. There are a couple of leaves and an acorn. Those things remind me of Red Butte Garden. There is a tree with falling leaves which represents my neighborhood. There's a red cup of coffee in the upper left corner paying homage to Starbucks and their holiday season red cup. There's a football with the words Go Utes and the red U for the University of Utah football season. There's a pie because, well, pie (!), and there is a wee family of three to represent me with my menfolk. 

Have a wonderful day! Do what makes you happy today: rest, read, enjoy your garden, have yummy snacks, and remember, I LOVE YOU!