ice water and ocicats

The overall feeling of this week has been, weirdly, competence: an engine is revving up into problem-solving mode, and the engine is me. I am somehow feeling more centered, more over my own feet, in both the work and personal sides of life. The rush of brainpower last Thursday has turned into something a little more sustained.

Athletically I keep hitting new personal records. This week I did a new flexibility thing (touched my right elbow to my right toe -- that's the bad side) and a new strength thing (70lb Turkish Get-Up on my left side -- that's also the bad side). I struggled in today's handstand lesson, yes, but that's by design.

Another weird thing I did: someone died on another team at work, and I got a spot bonus for arranging a local counselor and setting her up in various rooms for the local branch of that team. I promptly spent the bonus on clothes, which I was planning to do less of this year, but this time it was largely something that went on sale after I'd wanted it for most of a year (this shirt), and duplicates of my favorite leggings which are finally back in stock at Nomads. Last month my only clothing purchase was also a duplicate purchase, of sweatpants... so, it seems I have become a person who buys duplicates of things. Like being a prepper, except for leggings with slashes. I don't think it's a problem yet, so for now I'm just observing myself doing this thing.

I tried to move decisively and seriously toward another team at work, but they want me to figure out more stuff with my current management chain first. Damn it. Fine. So I tried to move firmly toward doing THAT, asking my manager flat-out whether he wants me to stay or go, and got that he'd love me to stay but has a reorg idea that might make my role make more sense. I told him we should talk (like fucking adults, I did not add), that I agree my current role could use some elimination. Also, it's nice to hear that he actually wants me in the org. Then to top off the week, on Friday I had my first meeting with a new executive coach, who has a background in clinical psychology and who switched to business psychology after deciding she really likes working with high-functioning people. I liked her a lot. If she can help me think of more options than I have currently thought of, then I will certainly consider those.

In personal life, well. I gave someone some feedback, very firmly with no softening words, and didn't do anything I didn't want to do. I'll tell more stories sometime when I know what's actually going on, but at least I'm not being a pushover -- on the contrary. By the time I left, the person looked like they'd been hit by a truck. :-/ I think they're working on finding a therapist now, which is a very good thing.

Summary: little actual progress, but traction. And new clothes.

( For my lifting friends, a new adductor exercise to love ) 1:30 and 1:55 handstand holds today for the non-record. I did do a straddle-up when completely exhausted, though. That is good.

Such interesting things are stirring, career-wise: it looks like TBC and Dan the Cat and I may all be making separate bids to get into Google this year, for various reasons. Only TBC and I would be colocated in Cambridge since this would be the Cat's way of making a break for Manhattan, but still, they are probably the two people I would most like to work with again in any capacity, so if this were to work out it could be stellar. Bit of a shame we all have our sights set on a place that's wicked hard to get into. We're good, but going three for three is statistically not likely. Wish us luck... and heisenbug too, of course, for those tasty little referral bonuses.