Riding the Roller Coaster No, I did not go to Disneyworld or Six Flags, but work yesterday was one wild ride. By 2:00 I was so mentally tired from all of the juggling I just wanted to go home and take a nap. But I had to be the target speaker for a Toastmasters contest, so napping was definetly out of the question. See, I am preparing to start a 90 day rotation in another department of my company. Very exciting and I am ready to try something new. I need a challenge and up until a few weeks ago my current position was not fulfilling that need. If I like the change, I may ask to stay there. Anyway, for some reason, the current project (in my current department) decided to really heat up and because of the rotation I will have to pass on the responsibilities to others in my area to get the job done. The saying "when it rains, it pours" is really accurate in this case. I had been working on this project for the better part of two years on and off. The group we needed to work with are in another state and going thru some growing pains. Needless to say, communication with them was difficult at best. Anyway, I spent the morning trying to coordinate a trip to New York for me and my teammates, attend a team meeting, schedule a Monday morning meeting, prepare for another Monday meegting, hand off projects that were in the works, define objectives for my rotation, and try to schedule a meeting with my supervisor (which has been hard because she has a sick child). I tell you, if not for my to do list, I would be in a world of hurt. And I still feel like I am forgetting things. One of the good things about my team meeting was that I told the team leader that I could not help with the assignments she was getting ready to hand out. I have always worked hard for her and have taken on more then my share of the work. I was given things to do because she new I would get them done, but I also felt that sometimes I was being taken advantage of. Give the new writers on our team an opportunity to shine...share the love. I can truthfully say that I am suffering from BURNOUT. I can write data streaming bulletins in my sleep and do manual updates with my eyes closed. Definitely not a challenge for me anymore. That's why I applied for this rotation. It will either open my eyes to new opportunities and challenges or send me running home with my tail between my legs; glad to live in the quiet world of documenting our system on the pod (I like the UK term pod better than cube) farm. Actually, the position in to which I am rotating actually fits my personality better. I am more of a big picture thinker and know a little bit about alot of things. I am less good with the details. That's the reason for the to do list and the very well defined organizational skills. I had to stay organized to keep the details in order. Anyway, by 2:00 I was bushed. Ready to go home, but still had 2.5 hours left in my day. I had to be at the contest by 6:30, so I did get an hour to relax before I had to leave for that. My husband went with me, he had never been to a Toastmasters event before. The humorous speeches were great. We had a lot of fun. My speech went well. The purpose of my speech was to give the contestants in the evaluation contest would have a speech to evaluate. I had given this speech previously at a regular TM meeting and had it memorized. The evaluations I received went from serious to funny, with several good suggestions for improvement. I really did not take it too seriously, although I was being officially evaluated for my CTM. I still need two speeches to meet that goal. Anyway, I am glad today is Saturday. I do not have to do anything that I do not want to today. I have yet to get out of my PJ's and I may just pop a girlie flick in the DVD and stay in bed. Adios, amigos y amigas.