Harihead

LOL. Truer words have never been spoken. The director's a stinky-butt poo-poo head, and has always been a stinky-butt poo-poo head. Actually, this VP and my boss both report to him. I tried the VP because I knew he'd been there several years and would have some tips as to how to deal with him without him turning into a raving maniac. No matter what I try, I seem to trip that bully button. The VP did have some good tips. He's analytical, and so am I, so I'm hoping his tips will work better than my earlier strategies. In any case, if they piss him off Monday, I'll have learned another way to fail. I'm in a good mood tonight. I bought an external drive and backed up my work laptop to it, so I can have access to my old projects for samples or coding if needed (not showing anything proprietary, of course). This way I can be confident I can clean up my work machine of anything not relevant to the next employee without saying, "Oops, I needed that." I also went in after working hours and completed cleaning out my desk, recycled a huge stack of papers from my filing cabinet and left one small drawer of crucial papers for my replacement. Took all my cups and the few remaining personal items home. A friend I talked to tonight said, "You tipped your hand!" I assured her that no one reacted in the slightest to any previous denuding of my cube, and I'm certain they won't notice the final removals. They just don't care about me. Oh, and the VP (who was nice enough to give me a good 90 minutes to discuss how badly I was f*ing up) confirmed my analysis. I said, the last time I was angry at someone, it turned up on my performance review over a year later, when the incident was already long made up with the person who I'd flared up at (I insisted on root-cause analysis of the disagreement, and we found common ground to work from). Anyway, I was graded down for this and the incident wasn't even in the review period. He said, "Well we're a family culture, and we hold grudges." !!! Wow. So he confirmed my analysis of the culture and basically confirmed my job was certainly dead end after this (though he didn't say it). Never a better time to move one. Up way too late tonight, so not sleeping much. But I feel relaxed for the first time in forever. Sat stats: Sleep: 3 hours sleep, x of it "sound". (bad prep) Renew: Blessing: Phys: walk + Tai Chi or meditation Fud: clean diet, MFP projection = -x pounds/week

Thank you Tank, Shaeon, and Shadowlion. Perfectly well put. I do feel better having given it a shot, and understanding that they really have no intention of making things better for me. It certainly leaves no doubt that leaving is my best option. I am going to give one more try at improving relationships. The VP who originally hired me seems like a reasonable man. I've convinced him to meet me for coffee tomorrow, so I can ask him for some tips on how to deal with these people. I don't believe I was irrational or accusatory; I was giving concrete examples of the difficulties I was encountering. I do plan to clean out my office completely this weekend, because there's a possibility I'll be walked out the door on Monday. I'm not working with rational people here. The only acceptable answer is, "Yes, I'll sign up for some more abuse, please!" Er, no. Fri stats: Sleep: 7 hours sleep, 5.5 of it "sound". (good herbal prep, 1 pill) Renew: Bought external drive for backup, interview samples Blessing: A darling 9-year-old girl joined me for my Tai Chi workout, then taught me her hip-hop routine. Phys: Bike ride + Tai Chi Fud: Super clean diet, but wine = 8 glasses this week! Oops. MFP projection = +0.5 pounds/week

Okay, I took the plunge this morning and made an appt on the director's calendar. He was working from home, which is not how I wanted to conduct this interview, but I didn't want to wait a whole week. I checked with my boss so I could read her my manifesto, but she wasn't in the office yet. So I figured I'd catch her up later. The boss responded almost instantly with a short email, Call my mobile. So I did. We small-talked at first, and then I went into the 4-person workload. He said, "Before you get too angry at R, understand that I'm the one who denied getting you extra resources last year." So, boom, he perfectly understood I was overloaded, knew it for a year, and chose to do nothing about it. Now, at this point I was getting angry, and the strain showed in my voice. However, I thought my points were good. I deliberately used phrasing that Eric suggested, and as a good old boy, I figured he knew what would be effective. I continued with, "R and I had a plan where I would give her estimates on how long it would take to complete various projects based on difficulty: low, medium, and high. We were going to discuss these estimates Monday. Yesterday, while talking to a new potential outsourcing company, she suddenly announced, "And we'd like to have the course complete by August." In other words, double-booking me AGAIN for two huge projects on tight deadlines. Plus, we'd discussed this project and she never asked me for an estimate. Again, pulled deadline out of the air. He said, "I'm going to interrupt you here. There is no place for saying negative things about your coworkers. R has marketing skills that you don't have, and you have technical skills she doesn't understand." Therefore confirming he put someone in place as my manager who had no clue what my job involved. I said, "I can't do that again. I'm going to work one person's workload from now on." He said, "You can't call me up and threaten me. You're emotional and irrational. Take a long weekend, hike and cool down, and we'll talk this over on Monday." So my proposal that I work a normal work week was viewed as a "threat" and my points as "emotional and irrational." I grant you, the tension in my voice would make the listener defensive, but I don't think one person/one job is a threat in any normal workplace. I'm all wound up. I'm going to take a long hike and see if Nature can work some magic. Your views are welcome-- including constructive critique. I'm at the end of my rope here. Cheers.

Thank you, Shadowlion! Today was a pretty difficult day. I was being recognized for this project which is difficult for me because I associate it with massive overtime, bullying, and basic abuse. I did break down and tell a coworker about my problems, and he seemed very concerned. He said it was past time to talk to the director. I'm not keen on this, because the director can be quirky, but apparently Thursday morning is a good time for him (Mondays and Fridays are not). If he's in the office, and available, I'm going to let him know why the work situation has become unworkable. I'm going to give him a simple list of my projects and major things my boss needs to change. Boss, what a laugh. She's a newbie with me as her first practice employee, and I've managed a dept as a B-level for years. But, that's what you get in a loosy-goosey in-club company. Very churned up. Had a good talk with my sister over dinner who gave me some good advice and suggestions. I'm going to just be open to what happens tomorrow, and take it to the next step. Thanks, anyone who's out there, for listening. Thurs stats: Sleep: 8 hours sleep, 6 of it "sound". Whahoo! Will try to repeat the feat tonight. Renew: Lots of discussion about the director's talk. Wow, and thanks. Blessing: Gorgeous day for a hike Phys: 5 mile hike Fud: Pretty clean diet, a little goat cheese, 1 wine MFP projection = -4 pounds/week

Thank you, Tank and Shaeon! I needed that kick. Another stressful day had me beaten down to, "I can't do this! It's too hard!" I'm WAY emotional due to general exhaustion. I practically cried when they couldn't refill my mild sleep aid. (I had to get doctors orders to refill it; hopefully today.) I spent the entire evening winding down, breathing deeply, meditating, eating my new herbal de-stress formula and my regular Deep Sleep preparation. It took about 3 hours, but I did eventually calm down. Wednesday stats: Sleep: 7 hours sleep, 4.5 of it "sound". Feeling a little draggy. Today I present to the office, oh joy. Renew: Counseled with 2 friends about next moves at job Blessing: barefoot Tai Chi Phys: walk + Tai Chi Fud: Pretty clean diet, some dairy, good bread, 1 wine MFP projection = -2 pounds/week

WE ARE SUCH TWINS!!! This is such a resonance with what I've been going through. The trouble is, nice people really don't know how to be drill masters, so they turn into bullies-- the direct orders without buy-in, the ridiculous deadlines. Then they want to nice-n up and be friends again, after putting you through unnecessary stress and impairing your health. This system just doesn't work. > My best jobs have always been the ones where I find myself working with the odd geek outcasts. I tend to form friendships in that environment LOL. Geekiness trumps regionality every time. I found the food journal fascinating. I think I'll take that up next challenge. Besides, we both know we're good documenters. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts during this chaotic time. May things go well for both of us! HH

I'm glad you turned down Montgomery. It sounded like a pain and a bad fit. Unless they paid you boatloads of money, I think the annoyance factor was too high. It sounds like you got a better recruiter than I ever got. Congratulations! Maybe he'll actually keep you on his list and work for you. Fingers crossed! My job is trying to make up for treating me so bad. I'm getting special recognition Weds and they're acknowledging my work. I won't lie, it feels good, but I also know that it's a manipulation to keep me putting in those extra hours. I still don't fit the culture and I have no actual friends. I'm a "self-starter" vs a "family" culture, as defined by this smart job lady here: http://www.yourofficecoach.com/topics/career_success/danger_signs/how_to_spot_the_culture_clues_at_work.aspx I'm glad I started hunting around, because now I understand better why I never fit in. They put buddy-buddy over work, and I'm task-oriented. That will never change. Plus it looks like they're going to sell the company. Pretty dicey. I hope I get out soon. Good luck on your own escape! May it be soon.

Many thoughts, but first: I got called back for a second interview, Yay! Takes place April 14. All of a sudden I'm way nervous. I'll be meeting with the Marketing Director. I'd feel more comfortable with R&D, but a stretch is what I'm going for! Please remind me not to be insane and stay at this job with the wrong culture and triple workload out of fear. Hey, power twin! High five! > What are your thoughts on this? First off, I've spent about 9 years of my career working from home, so I have lots of habits built up from that experience. Everything your friend enthused about is true for me also. And I REALLY hate working in someone else's office! I much prefer setting my own, sane schedule. The habits I built up are include eating twice a day. I like to eat around 10 and 4-6, depending on how the day goes. Then I'm good. Maybe an apple at night (like tonight; ate lunch about 2). When I can cook or prepare good fresh food, just what I want when I want it, instead of whatever I crammed into an unappealing plastic container the night before, I'm so much better nourished. Part of the reason I made it through the Death March was because I was eating good, hot meals. I can start and finish work when I want to. So I can start at 7 AM, and take a mid-day break for a bicycle ride or a hike when the weather is prime. This is so difficult to do out of an office, because sweat and office clothes don't mix. I couldn't help noticing that I lost 3 pounds even at the Death March peak when I was working at home, taking care of myself. An office just isn't fun. Tuesday stats: Sleep: ~8 hours sleep, 3+ of it "sound". Hmm, another UP failure. I think I turn it off in my sleep. Renew: Searched for good dry cleaner for new interview clothes. Fingers crossed they won't be ruined! Blessing: My taxes are optimized! Go, me! (= perfect withholding #) Phys: walk + Tai Chi + meditation - stressful day, I needed it all. Fud: Super clean diet, just a little butter with my crab MFP projection = -1.5 pounds/week

Night and day! I couldn't even do my taxes yesterday, I was so wiped out. I puttered around updating my LinkedIn profile and really improved it, but I made a lot of mistakes and had to make several corrections. Today, I just walked through the tax stuff, zip zip zip. I'm really tired again, though. I think I have a lot of catch-up to do. Early to bed! > I hope this kind of sleep pattern catches on! May it be so! I refilled my baby aspirin sleep aid, just in case. Almost out. You can be even more jealous, because the whole trip is France for a week, Norfolk for a week (where my friend lives), and then Iceland for a 2-day stopover. We just booked two midnight-sun tours, one for whale watching, and one for the Golden Circle. I saw the white nights in Russia several years ago, and it's really a lovely quality of light. Plus, those Icelanders are party animals! Thank you both for your kind inquiries. Good night!

Sunday stats - Day 1: Sleep: 8 hours sleep!!!! 7.5 of it "sound"! IT'S A MIRACLE!!! Renew: Picked up tailored suits, ready for dry cleaning Blessing: Planning Iceland trip Phys: walk + Tai Chi Fud: Super clean diet, 2 red wine MFP projection = -1.7 pounds/week Monday stats - Day 2: Sleep: 7 hours sleep, 5.5 of it "sound". Technically this meets goal, but I'd like to do better. Renew: I got called back for a second interview, Yay! Takes place April 14. Blessing: New comfortable shoes Phys: short walk + Tai Chi & meditation Fud: Super clean diet, some brown rice MFP projection = -1.5 pounds/week

WE ARE SUCH FREAKING TWINS!!! Holy Toledo. Or Montgomery, whatever. I spent most of yesterday updating my LinkedIn account. Some of these entries haven't been looked at since they were first posted. I refreshed the entire thing, and in a new move, posted a link to some samples of my work online. Now I feel as if my profile's "working" for me, all the time. I, too, fell into the "comfort" trap. Now I have a knot in my stomach more days than not. I'm being killed by this comfort. Time to get active! I'm not keen on the career adviser's advice to accept LI friend requests for people you don't know. How can you recommend their skills? Will strangers actually give you contacts? I can understand accepting people you admire in your field, or work where you want to work. Also recruiters, for the off chance, but I mostly find them to be dead weight. If they have a job that pops up in their queue, they scattershot everyone and see who replies. Ignore you the rest of the time. This recruiter "Meri" phoned me at home and work, plus email, saying "Call me right away!" I returned, got the machine, sent her a fresh resume... and no reply. My guess is I was overqualified. But the jerk didn't even reply. There are some good ones, but that behavior to me is typical "recruiter." > so many jobs I've applied for where what they want is someone with 3 - 5 years of experience, or even 1 - 3. It's disheartening, and often makes me suspicious that they will also attempt to pay less. You're right on about that. I won't even apply unless it's a senior position. I don't know about Atlanta, but in Denver we have jobs galore (that's how my old resume rose in this recruiter's stack-- 6 years old and she called me). I'm being picky, looking for something that is aligned with the culture and skills I prefer to use. I can't stand being bored; I need to have some creativity in the position. That said, as RogueLibrarian suggested, you can do anything in the short term for enough money. 6 mos is endurable if you're socking away the smackeroos. Just make sure you are. The recruiter has to know your firm bottom line, so they don't lead you down the path and then knock $10K off the offer (this just happened to me). You're in the driver's seat. State what you need, and they'd better meet it! LOL, listen to me. You're handling the situation perfectly. But I'm keen to contribute however I can in someone else's prison break. Best of luck, my friend! HH

Yes, you may well laugh. I have two appts today, plus one deadline (taxes). I had only 1 other day in all of March that wasn't scheduled. I'M SO GLAD THE DEATH MARCH IS OVER!!! Thanks to all of my terrific supporters.

How sad! Particularly that it was so unexpected. I still miss my favorite cat (we had 21 years together). I'm glad you and your family took prompt action. Now, you can honor her memory. She will be with you that way. Sending good thoughts.

Harihead is Mellowing Out and Moving Ahead. Last month was, shall we say, challenging. I'm now concentrating on finding a new job, managing the ongoing stress from my current job, and introducing better, more supportive personal behaviors and habits to help get me through the transition time. Life Goal: Return to the weight and fitness I had when I worked from home, instead of someone else's office. 3 Month Goal: Lose 15 pounds before I go to France this June. March: Down 4 pounds. April: 4 Week Challenge Goals: Cope with stress, promote good behaviors, find a new job. Exercise: Cardio = elevate heart rate at least 25 minutes 6x weekly. (This is another bump from last challenge, easy to track in MFP.) A = >6/week, STA +3, STR +2 B = >5/week, STA +2, STR +1 C = >4/week, STA +1 Diet: Try to improve the score on my 2 worst stress-handling fails: processed food and alcohol. For this challenge, I'm going to relax the definition of "processed". Instead of being only natural protein, veggie, or fruit, I will allow some whole grain as long as it's healthily prepared. Still aiming for mostly paleo and no junk. - <=1 processed food/week - <=3 drinking events/week total (monitoring the total to <7/week) - >= 12 glasses water/day (because it always helps) A = 0 fails/week, CON +3, DEX +1 B = 3 fails/week, CON +2, DEX +1 C = 6 fails/week, CON +1, DEX +1 Refresh: Get myself out of this sleep-deprived zone! I want to achieve >= 7 hours a night. - regular bedtime (tracked by my Jawbone UP) with healthy herbal prep - Tai Chi or meditation every day A = 0 fails/week, CHA +3 B = 2 fails/week, CHA +2 C = 4 fails/week, CHA +1 Renew: Handle the transition to my next opportunity gracefully. - Ideal is 2+ job-seeking and 2+ fiction-writing activities per week (tracked on spreadsheet 178). - Count down the days by recording "a blessing per day", so I can move through this change with gratitude and awareness. A = 5/week WIS +3 B = 4/week WIS +2 C = 3/week WIS +1

I'm preparing the entry for my next challenge. It will be posted here: Harihead is Moving Ahead For some reason, UP didn't record my sleep last night. It was very short, so details are unimportant. I'm still distressed over firing my friend (hopefully not my former friend). Sleep: ~5 hours sleep, on 2 pills yet. Stomach a tight ball this morning. Phys: Bike ride (12 miles made interesting with construction, but gorgeous day) Sat: Super clean diet, until we got to the 3 glasses of wine! MFP projection = -0 pounds/week Renew: Completely updated and refreshed LinkedIn profile. Blessing: A day with no meetings.

Yes, too many decisions are being made unilaterally without my consultation. My consulting budget was slashed, boss decided to "fire" this contractor without asking my input, changes deadlines without my input, and basically distrusts me-- all because I was 2 mos late on a crap project with software that didn't work, no technical support at all, a couple of blizzards, and a meltdown she precipitated. So I'm furious again (and sad) and have no intention to remain. My loyalty to my friend supersedes my professional obligations to this unprofessional company. In other news, my health is improving. Since I've been working at home so much, my diet has improved. I can eat 2 healthy meals per day around 10 and 5, which is all I want. I can take a walk when I want. I dropped 3 pounds in the last 2 days. Body is doing much better. Sleep: 7 hours sleep, 5 of it "sound". Took 2 pills, but I do think I'm starting to wind down. Phys: long walk + meditation Fri: Very clean diet, champagne MFP projection = -0.5 pounds/week Renew: Updated BWA profile for potential job seekers, added samples to LinkedIn Blessing: Wood ducks!

I'll be following your adventures. We're twins!

Shaeon, I totally loved your rant!!! You are so spot on in so many ways. I just got back from a drink where I had to fire the friend I'd hired as a consultant to assist me with my project. He'd turned down other work to work for us, was promised a continuing commitment which he never got, and now headquarters is taking away his "committed" budget. He said, in short, "This is sleazy." And it is! Seeing how they treated my friend, they are totally into working me into the ground as long as I will take it. They're going to hire an "as cheap as possible" resource, which of course will take a minimum of 3 months to get into place. All of this has crystallized my thinking. I'm getting out. The first eligible offer that comes along, I'm going to take. I really hope this company that I interviewed with will want me, but I need to get out more apps this weekend. I don't want to work for these bean counter/dehumanizers any more. Stats: Sleep: 6.5 hours sleep, 3.5 of it "sound". A bit distressing that I'm not relaxing now that the deadline's met - do the blog steps! Phys: Nada. Snowing outside and working all day. I'll meditate, though. Thurs: Very clean diet, except 2 wines while I was firing my long-term friend. MFP projection = -1 pounds/week Renew: Actively soliciting advice from friends about my next step, signed contract for new story Blessing: Such a wonderful, supportive community I live in. I'm so fortunate.

Swampling, you're a mind reader! I am, in fact, planning to bring out my backlist in a series of ebooks. I'm dividing them up into Fantasy, Scifi (funny), and Scifi (Drama). I have the lists set and am still looking for an artist (activity put on hold due to deadline) to design me a branded series of covers. Then I have one previously published novel that I'm going to rerelease, followed by my newest novel that no trad publishers picked up because it's not genre enough for them. That should give me five books by end of year. Regarding the performance appraisal, I was wrong. I only got spanked a little, regarding being too "easily frustrated" by the complete lack of support for my projects during the entire last year. My half-time contract resource (hired in January) was deemed too expensive. I convinced my boss to hire an actual real employee, because just one person in my role puts the company at risk. This means no help until July at soonest. The upcoming work is largely drudgery-- rebranding and updating courses for the new company look. It would be a good intro for a newbie, assuming I'm still around to orient them. Still, overall it went well; I got the highest rating, which means I'm eligible for whatever raise and bonus the company chooses to award me. I won't find out until early May. This will, of course, make me even more expensive. If the learning gigs don't want me and I have to go corporate, they're going to have to pay me every penny and then some to return to yet another cube. Random thought for the forum: What would you do-- leave a place where I'm actively isolated and overworked, but pays really well, or move on to something that's more personally fulfilling? My sleep has averaged 5 hours a night all through March (thank you, UP device). That's stress, because even when I don't have a hard deadline in the morning, I wake at 5:30 anyway (like today). Pure adrenalin. I got some "baby aspirin" level sleep aids from the doc, and they help a little, but I haven't had a full night's sleep since sometime in February-- I'd have to go back and check. I found this really helpful article about addressing anxiety. I putting it here for future reference: http://tinybuddha.com/blog/the-gift-of-anxiety-7-ways-to-get-the-message-and-find-peace/

Whahoo! Last module was posted at 10:15 last night (after another 5:30 AM start). In the last 5 days, I've worked 60 hours, which includes one "light" day-- Saturday I only worked 5 hours. Glad to put this behind me. As I said, the Death Marchiest of Death Marches! I have my performance appraisal today. Oh, joy and rupture! Let's see how badly I get spanked for not performing. O_o Sleep: 7 hours sleep, 5 of it "sound". I feel like a new woman. Phys: zip. My bad. Weds: Pretty clean diet, some butter, little port MFP projection = -1.5 pounds/week Renew: Thank you letter to interviewer Blessing: I sold a story!

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone! I _still_ haven't finished this deadline. Posting modules for the last 2 days, starting at 5:30 each morning. It is what it is. Sleep: 6 hours, 3.5 "sound". Needless to say, I'm pretty wasted. Tues: Very clean diet, one small glass of port Phys: walk + med MFP projection = -2 pounds/week Renew: Phone interview! I thought my phone interview Tues morning went well, but then, I always think that. I thought we were getting along great, but she closed with "I have to interview some other candidates before I get back to you." Which completely depressed me. It's like, she was humoring the non-fit so she could have a clear conscious selecting someone else. Bummer. It would have been great fun. We'll just see what happens. Time to send out some more applications!

Week of March 27: Sleep: 4.5 hours, 3.5 of it "sound" - Poor in anyone's book, despite the 2 pills. Back to clean prep tonight. Sun: Super clean diet, no exceptions Phys: long walk + laundry, meditation MFP projection = -2 pounds/week Renew: Clean and press interview clothes Sleep: 6.5 hours, 5 of it "sound". Anxious. Mon: Very clean diet, but I had to eat dinner at work (bagel and cream cheese) Phys: Nada. Spent 15 hours in the chair today, working from 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM. MFP projection = -1.5 pounds/week Renew: Chat with sister re: interview prep

Thanks, Swampling, for the kudos and finger-crossing. I want to put down some thoughts for the next challenge. April Challenge Prep: I'm officially in transition. What do I do about it? Exercise: Cardio = elevate heart rate at least 25 minutes 6x weekly. Natural progression for the month. A = >6/week, STA +3, STR +2 Diet: Try to improve the score on my 2 worst stress-handling fails: processed food and alcohol. - <=1 processed food/week - <=3 drinks/week total Refresh: Get myself out of this sleep-deprived zone! - regular bedtime (tracked by my Jawbone UP) with healthy herbal prep - Tai Chi or meditation every single day Renew: Handle the transition to my next opportunity gracefully. - Try to do >2 fiction items per week, and/or >2 job-related activities per week - Count down the days by recording "a blessing per day", so I can move through this change with gratitude and awareness.

Thanks, Tank! I really relied heavily on this community for support. Thanks so much for sticking with me through a difficult time. Let the Rebels prevail!

Week 4 Roundup and Challenge Outcome: Did I cope with the Death March and lose weight at the same time? NO! (Well, one measly pound.) But I didn't lose ground, which is pretty spectacular considering the 9-11 hour days for a month, and the incredible stress. Still two more days to go. I woke up and my heart was pounding so hard I could hear it. *sigh* Really looking forward to saying Adios to this particular gig. Exercise: Cardio = elevate heart rate at least 25 minutes 5x weekly. B for Week 4, which gives me A for this challenge! A = >5/week, STA +3, STR +2 Diet: Focus on my 2 worst stress-handling fails: processed food and alcohol. C for Week 4, which gives me C for this challenge. - <=1 processed food/week - <=2 drinks/week total C = 4 fails/week, CON +1, DEX +1 Makes sense. These are my worst stress-handling fails, and I have been under tremendous stress. Overall diet has been really clean, which gave me strength to continue under these conditions. Without this challenge, I would have eaten a lot more junk, and had way more alcohol. So it certainly worked to that degree. Refresh: Make sleep and stress reduction a priority. B for Week 4, which gives me B for this challenge. - regular bedtime (tracked by my Jawbone UP) - Tai Chi or meditation every single day B = 2 fails/week, CHA +2 I should give this one "A" for effort regarding sleep. I certainly tried many things! Alas, I seem to be averaging about 5 hours of good sleep per day for the month. I was hoping to sleep in today, but it was not to be. *sigh* Renew: Job-seeking + fiction-writing activities. The ideal is 2 of each per week. A for Week 4, which gives me A for this challenge! A = 4/week WIS +3 This feels right. I've done a lot of self-examination and sorting of life priorities this month. I, in fact, do feel much wiser than I did when I went into March, running on auto-pilot. I like reporting in, so I'm going to keep this thread going until next month's challenge gets going. I like the life/work balance idea, plus making "Refresh" actually work. I'll see if the stress subsides once this project is delivered and I have had my performance appraisal, and activity I routinely detest because it's the inexperienced evaluating the excellent. Even if they like me, which won't be the case this year, a performance review typically sends my into a rage. ("How dare they judge me?!") I really need to get that home business going, because I'm a rotten employee.