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It is hard being on the road over 200 nights a year...away from your family, isolated in many ways. It definitely isn't for everyone. This blogs represents the thoughts of just one such person. Read along and find out if the road is for you.
This is my new blogchalk:
United States, Georgia, Gainesville, Unity of Gainesville, English, John, Male, reading, RE Investing. :)
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Wednesday, May 05, 2004
What a day!
I kind of surprised both Julie and myself when I mentioned on the ride to exchange a shirt and catch the shuttle to the airport of getting married when we go on our Southern Caribbean the week after next.
After doing some looking around, we not only found a beautiful diamond wedding ring for me, but also a “ring guard” for her 1-carat solitaire. Her new ring really is amazing. And I will be quite happy with mine once it is permanently attached to my finger.
Work has been bitter sweet this week. It seems like customers know of my leaving faster than I can tell them. On the other hand, I am getting a lot of little fill up my time type assignments. But I am doing them as they get thrown at me with a happy face. And I have to admit that I wouldn’t feel the same way if I wasn’t leaving.
Da Company has come back with several offers since I gave notice. It is a shame in some regards. I was asking for those types of opportunities over the last year and half. And now that I give notice, they are suddenly there for the taking. Besides the fact of having to move to the “mother ship” in PA, the dynamics of my wanting to leave will not have changed. As such, I am still leaving as planned on May 15th.
I haven’t let too many folks at Da Company know of my coming departure. I am not really in the mood to have to explain my reasons for moving on. There are some folks who won’t be surprised and others who feel that I should have told them my intentions before my “goodbye” email at the end of next week.
Unlike others, mine is NOT going to be one of those “I didn’t think it would be so hard to write this” or “With tears in my eyes…” emails. I have enjoyed my time at Da Company. I did profit from the experience, but at this point in time, Da Company doesn’t serve me and I am doing a disservice in staying. I am not closing the door for the future, but for now, there is something else out there for me.
I am heading to New York right now. I think this is the first time that I wanted to upgrade this year and couldn’t. I am already upgraded for the trip back, which usually is the more important one, because when you are tired on the way home, you just want to relax, kick back, have a drink and not have to worry about someone’s elbows digging into your sides because they are territorial. The only good part (and on this trip that is the only thing that I can say positive about it…1.5 hour flight extended to 3.5 with a potential side stop in Philly to add fuel) is that the guy one row back and myself have been trading buying each other drinks for the past hour.
But as usual, I do digress. I spent a lot of time yesterday getting that wasser32 worm off of my home computer. After I did mine, I had to go to a friend of our and do her’s as well. It is a lesson learned. I will try to keep my MS updates current.
Or maybe a new browser is in my future???? Also, a new computer. Mine is about 7 years old. Although I did buy a computer for my Dad two years ago, I have never actually bought a computer for myself. I have always found a way to get one without actually having to put out cold hard cash. I have traded shares, services, and other things to get a decent computer(s) into our house. But with the pool business heating up, perhaps it is time to finally buy one for me. On the other hand, I do have a new (at least to me) server I could possibly use.
I read Natasha’s blog and actually spoke with her today. I am going to miss her more than she knows. I don’t know how to describe our beginning, but she is someone who I can trust to confide (and I have) some dark secrets to. There are some things that I have just told to her and no one else, not even Julie.
Enough for now. I will try to keep this thing updated regularly (at least every other day??) until the time I leave Da Company. At that point, I am switching over blogs to The Coffee Chronicles. Stay tuned.
Blog on!
posted by John Panico at 6:21 PM
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
This being cool, calm and collected is exhausting!
I think the hardest part is behind me at this point in time. I put in my notice of termination this morning. And word seems to spread quickly. I was a little taken back by the number of calls I received not only from co-workers, but also customers who expressed surprise by my decision.
I want to be gracious on articulating my reasons for leaving Da Company. On the other hand, I wish I could direct folks to a voice mail that would detail my reasons for leaving. This was supposed to be a day off and I have spent a good part of it re-telling the story over and over.
Besides this post, I will be spending some time writing emails to fellow workers telling them how to handle certain customers who they will be inheriting from me.
I have spent an equal amount of time with Julie deciding where to go on vacation the first week after leaving Da Company. I had already put in for the time off before I had decided to leave Da Company. And with the vacation pay I will be receiving convinced me to go ahead with our initial plans. Besides, that will cut down on the number of phone calls I will have to field the week after leaving.
And the thing that tires me just thinking about it is the thought of staying home through the summer and putting in more time on the pool business. Whew!
Enough for now.
Blog on!
posted by John Panico at 10:01 PM
Sunday, April 25, 2004
When does it get easier????
Just when you think you have things figured out (at least a couple of things anyhow), somebody changes the dynamic.
I thought I had a pretty good idea of where I was going (leaving Da Company), why (let’s just say I want to have more impact on where I work) and although I wasn’t 100% sure of my future, somehow I was content.
Then Da Boss surprised me in a response to an email I sent her on Friday. In it, I tried my best to tell her why I was looking to leave what seemingly to many folks is a great position at a company that has treated me reasonably well. I hadn’t spoke with her since late Tuesday and although she had indicated she would get back to me the next day, the communication I received was an after 5 email. I had called and left a message on Thursday but received a loud “no reply”.
Taking that as a cue, I sent her an email that hopefully clarified my position. I was surprised once again to receive an after 5 message (at least it was a voice mail this time) telling me they may indeed have something for me.
I am not sure that ANY position will suffice, because the underlying reason for leaving is probably still going to be there. But I did leave her a voice mail message on Saturday and we will go from there on Monday. Somehow, I think this is going to come to some conclusion then.
Adding to the congestion of my “alleged” mind was a call from my Dad. This one has me torn up a bit. I was just out there in March trying to get their lives in order when I was told in blunt terms, “This is really none of your business”. Well, unfortunately, my Dad’s wife fell and broke not one, but both of her legs. My Dad called in what I would term a “Hold a pity party for me” phone conversation on Saturday and I did speak with him on Sunday.
I really don’t want to beat on him when he is down, but the only time he calls me lately is either for money or for him to make me feel sorry for him. I am kind of at a loss on what to do.
Other than that, it looks like another house is coming my way at a great price. That is good, because if my letter of termination holds up, I will need the income. It is doubly good, because I have slacked in the marketing department in March and April. I just had too much going on to take on one project, but am feeling a little more in control (or am I).
Have you ever heard of that saying that sometimes “people mistake kindness for weakness”. I have definitely felt that way in how the response factor has gone back and forth with Da Company this week.
But that pales in comparison to what is happening at church. I went through a lot of time, work, energy and out of pocket expenses to get the church a new lcd projector as well as 5 power point presentations for the big church celebration on March 28th.
So what happens? Well, when I came to church the week after (I had to work the weekend of the celebration) and offered suggestions on how to improve what they were doing, I was told I would have to go through the “Media Director”. Huh? Where was the media director when all this other stuff was going on?
But it was capped off when the minister now wants me to work on the church website. Well, since “NO” is becoming a larger part of my vocabulary over the past few weeks, you might guess my response.
Other than that, I kind of feel a little on an uninhabited island. I have been hesitant to bring up my leaving as I don’t want to cause a commotion. That was and is never my intent. But it would be nice to know what is happening. I hate to tell people/customers that they can count on me, when I don’t really feel they can.
Enough for now. Let’s see what Monday brings.
Blog on!
posted by John Panico at 8:30 PM
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Road days are now numbered...
It would seem that my days working at Da Company are coming to an end. I told Da Boss my feelings about how my contributions at Da Company are valued.
I am not blaming anyone. I had a good run. Now it is time to move onto to other challenges.
It has been kind of a weird week. I spoke with Lori and she has indicated that she would be getting back to me. Except for a short email that was left for me after work yesterday that she would be getting back to me, she hasn't. I left a message, but like alot of messages that I have left for her, it hasn't been returned.
So, it looks like this blog is about to come to an end. Being a road warrior has sure been an adventure. Is it for everyone? Definitely not. But through it all, I have enjoyed the majority of it.
Stay tuned for the coffee house chronicles.
Blog on!
posted by John Panico at 8:56 PM
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Thoughts to Star-bq by...
I have had an opportunity to do a little thinking (I know...a dangerous thing), but nevertheless I did it :)
I have had some conversations with some co-workers at Da Company who have the opportunity to go elsewhere. when I listen to their reasons for giving serious consideration, money is an issue, travel is an issue, but frustration with Da Company is an issue as well.
On top of that my client last week voiced his frustration over how their go-live on our system went. In his previous career in the military, he was always at the top of his game and could control issues/people much better.
In my present capacity at Da Company, I don't even control myself. I look back at the last 4 years in general, but the last year in particular and wonder what type of impact I have made. What contributions have I added? Where have I made a difference?
And although I have tried mightily, by suggesting different programs, trying to get procedures better, trying to get things better in general within our unit, I can't say that I have been successful on any one thing of importantance. There isn't one thing that I can say if I left tomorrow that the place is better for me being there.
And that is frustrating.
So as Julie and I went up into the mountains for a "star-bq" (you bring your telescope and your barbeque to cook whatever you bring, then eat amongst friends and look at different planets/nebulae/solar systems in the dozen or so telescopes that are up there), I broached with her about the thought of leaving Da Company.
I knew she would be receptive to me coming off of the road. But at this point in time, I really don't have a place to land except for hitting the real estate a little harder, maybe even working at the pool business or starting up the coffee house.
I could make an impact in any of those businesses, but the coffee house gives me an opportunity to be a bigger voice in the community and to hopefully make social changes for the good within it.
The coffee house would take a good bit of our savings and she wasn't quite as excited about that.
In many regards it is kind of weird. If I could have made or could realistically see me making some positive changes at Da Company, this subject wouldn't even come up.
But like most companies, mine has made dramatic changes since I came onboard. Some changes were necessary in order to be competitive and I can live with those. But other things that could keep me here are not likely to change and as such, I am at a crossroads here.
I want to have a life and feel like my contributions are valued. There isn't any reason I can't have both. And perhaps if not here, then it may be time to move on.
Blog on!
posted by John Panico at 7:44 AM
Star-bq
I have had an opportunity to do a little thinking (I know...a dangerous thing), but nevertheless I did it :)
I have had some conversations with some co-workers at Da Company who have the opportunity to go elsewhere. when I listen to their reasons for giving serious consideration, money is an issue, travel is an issue, but frustration with Da Company is an issue as well.
On top of that my client last week voiced his frustration over how their go-live on our system went. In his previous career in the military, he was always at the top of his game and could control issues/people much better.
In my present capacity at Da Company, I don't even control myself. I look back at the last 4 years in general, but the last year in particular and wonder what type of impact I have made. What contributions have I added? Where have I made a difference?
And although I have tried mightily, by suggesting different programs, trying to get procedures better, trying to get things better in general within our unit, I can't say that I have been successful on any one thing of importantance. There isn't one thing that I can say if I left tomorrow that the place is better for me being there.
And that is frustrating.
So as Julie and I went up into the mountains for a "star-bq" (you bring your telescope and your barbeque to cook whatever you bring, then eat amongst friends and look at different planets/nebulae/solar systems in the dozen or so telescopes that are up there), I broached with her about the thought of leaving Da Company.
I knew she would be receptive to me coming off of the road. But at this point in time, I really don't have a place to land except for hitting the real estate a little harder, maybe even working at the pool business or starting up the coffee house.
I could make an impact in any of those businesses, but the coffee house gives me an opportunity to be a bigger voice in the community and to hopefully make social changes for the good within it.
The coffee house would take a good bit of our savings and she wasn't quite as excited about that.
In many regards it is kind of weird. If I could have made or could realistically see me making some positive changes at Da Company, this subject wouldn't even come up.
But like most companies, mine has made dramatic changes since I came onboard. Some changes were necessary in order to be competitive and I can live with those. But other things that could keep me here are not likely to change and as such, I am at a crossroads here.
I want to have a life and feel like my contributions are valued. There isn't any reason I can't have both. And perhaps if not here, then it may be time to move on.
Blog on!
posted by John Panico at 7:44 AM
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
If you can't tell your friends secrets, then what kind of life are you leading?
I heard that being said on a movie the other night and gave it some real thought. And you know what? That is right!
Of course there are different types of secrets that you share with different friends...
- Work related secrets - the type of things that you only share with really close work friends. What type of things you ask? What your true thoughts about the boss/company are, what your plans are both long and short term, the reasons why some folks at Da Company are getting where they are getting, etc. I only have a couple of folks at Da Company that I can share those things with. And Julie never really gets involved with 95% of those secrets.
- Relationship secrets - These you usually only limit to one or two. In my case, I have one friend who I have known for 20 years that I can literally tell anything to. And another close friend at work who has a similar situation to mine and we share secrets with each other.
- Secret thoughts - these are the juicest of secrets that you can only share with one person...usually your spouse (which is true in my case) These are the ones where you diss folks, rag them out and then smile to them and tell them how nice they are the next time you meet them. These secrets are also the ones that gnaw at you the most.
I have been sharing some secrets with a few folks recently. But the one I really haven't shared with anyone is that I am giving serious consideration to quitting Da Company. I got some money saved, some real estate to bring in some do re me and have been really thinking about the Coffee House again.
If I could get someone to put up 15K more, I would be done tomorrow. But like I said, I might do it sooner rather than later.
The reason I haven't spoke about it is I am not sure I am going to do it, but more importantly, I really don't want to talk about it all that much. But on the other hand, now that I wrote this, maybe I am.
Getting off the road would be good. Da Company doesn't seem to offer much in the way of opportunity, so that may be the ultimate decision maker.
Stay tuned.
Blog on!
posted by John Panico at 9:49 PM
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Trying to live under the radar...
There are several reasons I haven't blogged much in the last few weeks: They are as follows (in no particular order):
- The Schedule - I have worked several weekends for Da Company (no, they really don't appreciate the efforts) and that has taken up a significant amount of time. In addition, even when I plotted out some time, a problem customer would suddenly arise like a phoenix and suck it up. This happened with 2 cusotmers. Da Company's response? Do whatever you have to do to make them happy (In other words, use your time to make other folks problems right)
- Church - The demands have been great there too. It all culminated on March 28th when they had their big celebration/ordination ceremony. I bought the LCD projector, made arrangements to get it installed, and in my free time, created 5 power point presentations choreographed to music.
- Personal - I am not complaining about this time spent, but it just added to time that I needed to spend with Julie that I didn't really have. To her credit, she has been (and always is) my biggest/best supporter. We spent the last week in San Francisco together and it was awesome...complete with bay dinner/dancing cruise and other fun things. It was good to spend some time with her without other obiligations getting in the way.
- Business - One house fell through (I probably helped it along when I became stubborn, but hey, I was tired and didn't want to argue a $400 point) and I have come up for air. I am now refreshed and ready to hit the wealth building road again.
- Career - Da Company acquired another company last week. And one of the folks got an "instant" position in my opinion. That is a total disregard for folks here who have put in the time. Two - three more houses and I can think about my options. Which I am giving serious consideration to at this very moment.
I could fill you in with the blow by blow boring stuff, but suffice to say, that Da Boss and I have had our moments and I am most thrilled that March is now behind me.
I will get back to blogging, but still have some things that I am working on that have to remain under the radar.
Blog on!
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