(no subject)

[cblj_backup]

I think I work harder on Fridays than possibly any other day of the week. Friday is the only day where I switch my computer off before going home -- the rest of the time I just lock it and turn off the monitors -- so Friday is the day I have to deal with anything still sitting in my browser, and the day I choose to deal with any work-email backlog.

It's also the day I take care of the week's financials, which went smoothly this week except for where I got yelled at by Financial Services. But that happens often enough I'm pretty inured to it. I think they just like yelling, and I'm a good person to yell at because I don't take it a) personally or b) seriously. I'm sorry, I cannot bring myself to believe accounting is as important as they do, it's not in my nature. I'm a free spirit, man.

I've been looking around for professional development opportunities, because everyone else gets to go to a research conference later this year and I feel like I should be developing or whatnot, but my job is a weird mix of Project Manager, which is my title but significantly different from most positions like this, and Administrative Professional, which I do but not exclusively or nearly to the degree other Admins seem to, and I'm not quiiiite a researcher...so it's a puzzlement.

Also -- okay, I haven't done well in getting into video games but I've managed to get into comics which is like a few degrees off -- and if you aren't a Spider-Man fan or even a comic book fan, I still can't recommend Avenging Spider-Man #5 highly enough. It just came out this week and it's a standalone story; it's got the requisite fight scenes, but it's mostly about being a geek, coping with being made to feel ashamed of geekiness, how to be proud of it, and how it never really leaves you and that shouldn't be something you regret. It is at once the saddest and happiest story I've read in some time, in any medium.

Spider-Man just wants to be dork friends with you, Cap!

And if you ARE a comic book fan, I have to say, the writing in Avenging Spider-Man in general I've found to be above par. It's not quite so dark as many adult comics, but it's not hideously condescending like most of the comics aimed at teens and kids. Full Sam The Storyteller approval!

Comments

[rosathome.livejournal.com]

Re. the professional development. Decide which direction you want to be heading (researcher, right?) and pick something related to that. It'll remind your boss that's what you want to do.

[marilla82.livejournal.com]

This.

Also, look for leadership development through continuing education departments at local universities. Any sort of leadership series that includes Emotional Intelligence, Team Building and Employee Relations is big right now. We're offering two series of right now.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Sadly, the department won't pay for me to train for something I want to do -- only to improve in things I'm supposed to do :D

[knitchick1979.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the comic recc, I'll have to check that one out! I've been slowly getting back into comics after a long break (mostly due to finances - it gets very expensive keeping up with X-Men!), and I'm still trying to learn what's good & what's not right now. I like that panel, and being a professional geek, that story sounds right up my alley! :)

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

You know, and I hate to admit I do this but I totally do, for the last few weeks I've just been downloading the comics, reading everything, and then going to the comic store and buying only the ones that I think are worth pursuing. Like, I get that Comic A is part of an overall arc that's mostly tied up with Comic B, and I might buy Comic B because it's got a lot of the arc in it, but Comic A is auxiliary reading to me, so I won't buy it.

I feel a little bad because I want to support the artists and my local shop, but only a little bad.