Sparkly Things

Why, why, why, or more accurately, HOW can someone reach the age of 50-something and posess precisely 0% (that’s zero) people skills?

That’s my new librarian. I suggested that she’s coming across as authoritarian and demanding [telling people what to do instead of asking, offering unsolicited suggestions on how to do things and insisting that things be done her way in despite of instructions to the contrary in the SOP], so now she’s telling the staff that I and our other librarian “want” people to do what she wants them to do (essentially lying). She vacillates bewteen chirpy and weird, hostile, crude and sullen. It’s like an evil personality slot machine.

This woman is old enough to be my mother. She’s been in the Army (WAC) in a leadership position. She went to school and got her Master’s Degree in Library Science (I KNOW they have management courses). How is it that she manages to alienate absolutely EVERYONE on our staff?

Is it me? Am I such a bad manager that I can’t get across to this woman that while she is not in charge of the library and therefore is not authorized to assign people work, she can (using tact and good communication) engage their assistance in the valuable work she is doing if she follows the established proceedures? She says she feels like she gets no respect. This is true. People are pretty much at the “politely ignoring” phase right now. What’s my place in this? Tell them to play nice with her? Tell her to earn their respect? I want the staff to work as a team, to help one another. Most people are doing this. Why is this one person such a problem?

Gah! Makes me wanna holler!

I am trying to enjoy living in the moment. I am finding myself too involved in planning lately and then I never have time to enjoy things as they come. Therefore I plan to be more spontaneous!

Welcome kitkatkel! For those of you in Attilium, she’s Kathy (of Kathy and Dan and Mary and Molly). She’s super nice and you should add her to your friends and send her lots of nice comments. So there!

Sore feet today as the H2O aerobics last night was particulary vigorous. I’m getting some cramping in my left calf (not the one with the plate, that’s the one on the right) during the workout which I think is due to insufficient stretching. I have to try to get into the yoga class to learn some good leg stretches to do during my warm-up. Yoga’s only offered in the evening one day a week and I think it’s tonight so if I get home on time I may go.

Tom’s got fencing tonight, then work and gaming tomorrow, cookie booth with the GS and Persian party on Saturday and site visit and Baronial meeting on Sunday. So much for a restful weekend.

I’m having a hard time concentrating today. I keep wandering away from what I’m supposed to be thinking about in any given moment. I think I’m just trying to keep too much stuff in my head.

I’m going to blame this on lack of sleep, but I was so fuzzy yesterday I locked myself IN the house.

So here’s how it happened…
Our house has deadbolt locks on all the doors that have to be opened with a key on either side. My house key is on a different key ring from my car key and our spare key was out on loan to the nice person who looked in on our cats last time we were out of town. Wednesday night when I got out of the car my hands were full, so Tom unlocked the door for me and I forgot the house key in the car. I locked the house with Tom’s key and locked the car with the remote.

When I woke up Thursday, Tom was already gone, having locked up the house behind him. I had no key. So I kind of panicked and called Tom to come and get me out. He called me back on his way home and reminded me that I could climb out of the porch window and go outside through the porch screen door. It was after that that I realized that last time I had closed the house door onto the porch I had only latched the doorknob, not locked the deadbolt, so I went out through the porch and got my key from the car *whew*. I was still late to work, but at least Tom didn’t have to drive all the way home to let me out.

Honestly, I felt like a cat, on the wrong side of every door.

We learned this in our training last week.  I’m trying to fill in my blind spot.  Please contribute: http://kevan.org/johari?name=Corax_onyx

Yay for Tom! He got his AoA this weekend, so now he can call himself Tiernen(Lord–in Gaelic) Ferrel and not get any grief over it. We were at Ymir (Viking style SCA event hosted by the Barony of Windmaster’s Hill). I knew something was in the offing, but when we were both called for the Baronial Order of the Kittyhawk in morning court, I thought that was it. It was nice to be recognized by the Barony as a couple, because a lot of the things we do, we do together. Then the evening court came, our new fighters got recognized, and a few people we knew from other groups, and then Their Majesties called Tom into court and gave him his AoA (and a very nifty scroll). Our group was estatic and cheered very noisily for him.

So now we’re (Lord) Tiernen Ferrel and Lady Eibhlin inghean ui Chiarain, Companions of the Order of the Kittyhawk.

Otherwise, the weather was lousy, the company was wonderful. We presented the Baronessa’s tea with minimal problems. Tiernen didn’t fight because the ground was too muddy. We’re glad to be back and looking forward to the next event.

I did my first real class of water aerobics last night. It was me, the instructor, and one other lady (Wednesday is church night down here, so attendance is down on Wednesday nights). I stuck it out through the entire workout and I’m not too sore today. It was good exercise, but definietly low impact. My knees and ankles appreciate that. We’ve also been using the recumbent bikes for the same reason. Once I get my knees and ankles into better shape I’d like to start using the elliptical machines.
tiernen is working on the weight machines and the bike, elliptical and stair stepper. He wants to get in better shape for fencing, so all you swishy poky folks look out!

I finally have a few minutes free to type an update. The new computer system is installed at work and minus a few minor weirdnesses I think it’s going to work pretty well. The staff is invested in mastering it and that goes a long way towards making it work.

On the personal front, Tiernen and I went and joined the gym in Raeford last night. We’re trying to get in shape for the summer so we can enjoy ourselves at our various summer activities. We worked out on the machines and swam in the pool and then came home and slept. I’m a little sore this morning. I figure that will work out as the days go by.