This last calendar year for me at work was kind of a wash. I started 2007 with a rotund belly secretly counting the days until my leave started. I had worked somewhat hard to get my project ahead of schedule so when I wasn't in the lab daily for 8-10 weeks it wouldn't suffer. I would be checking my e-mail to deal with anything that came across my desk, and I had a co-PI who I had finally found a happy medium with and could rely upon. Then I pawned off my menial tasks to a guy who needed the charge code.
Then I was gone from early March to mid-May. Gone in a physical sense... as a scientist (as I was discussing with V), even though you aren't supposed to be working there are still certain expectations. I spent a few of Skadi's naps on the phone with potential collaborators and wrote at least one white paper while on leave in addition to checking my e-mail daily. This past summer I came back and I have spent the last six months getting my groove down. Getting both the kids ready by myself (since AB goes to work at 5:30am) and all of us to where we should be by 8:30, I mean about 8:45... ok, sometimes 9am. Ok, there has been an occasional 9:15am in there.
Then there are the doctor's appointments. Who knew two kids had so many doctor's appointments? And did I actually wear sweat pants to work one day? There were times I felt I was barely keeping my head above water. And there still are days like that. So anyways, suffice it to say that work may have suffered a little in the later part of 2007. Apparently though (and thankfully) I did a good job of hiding it since I still got a very positive review from my manager a few weeks ago.
It's 2008 and it's time to pull things together.
I have a proposal went out today after a successful preliminary one on one review. A review that people who work in the areas I work in, are required to do with their proposals... and I won't say much else on what that entails. Creative minds who know me and what I do can surmise. Suffice it to say that my chosen reviewer is a good friend of mine who birthed her second child in between the time I had my two. She told me, off the record, of the ones she has seen thus far, it is easily in the top quarter. But she's a friend... what's she going to say? "Don't bother NM, you don't have a real shot"? I don't think so. But is that good enough in a pool of 60 proposals?
What started out this post?
Tuesday.
This coming Tuesday is seriously freaking me out. It has nothing to do with the proposal above (I just rambled to that). It has nothing to do with my husband's birthday being that day.
Nope, Tuesday is my first real, "I am back, I am for real, and I can be a bitch on wheels if I need to" day at work. (Stop laughing... I can be a bitch.)
I landed a big project management position this past week with a new and upcoming program. Once fully trained I will have two half million dollar a year projects under me with a team of people who many were my coworkers on my shiny, happy, semiconductor project.
I am going to walk in on Tuesday, in front of the client I have never met, in front of those coworkers I adored working WITH (please hope I enjoy managing them too... many have twenty years experience on me) and be introduced as the Project Manager.
At 8:30am.
In dress clothes.
(Stop laughing.)
I just Zappos'd myself a nice pair of black pumps. With a heel.
(Note to self, put the kids in clothes that can double as pajamas the night before, I am thinking sweats and t-shirts/onesie just in case.)
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