Frustrations

I've been working for the last few weeks on a quilt called a September Sun. The pattern is awesome but a little more complex than anything I have completed in the past. I am on a deadline to get this done so the quilter I have asked to finish it can have it.

This pattern has been very frustrating. Once I take the time to ask and learn the techniques that are proven to work for the issue at hand it goes smoothly again until I hit upon another area where I need help. The quilt has been like that from the start.

Most recently I am finishing up one of the final blocks for the quilt and hit upon yet another road block. This time it sounds like my block has come out too big even though I followed the instructions and used the templates for it.

Being this close to done is hugely frustrating to me. The thought of having to tear apart that block and start over is nothing short of heart breaking. I'm not sure I can bear it. Alas I will have to wait until Saturday to find out if it is really a problem or not.

Keep your fingers crossed! I would like to get this thing sewn together and borders started this weekend but that won't happen if I have to tear it all apart and redo it.

Things You Don't Know

Below are 5 things you may not know about me.

I am a published author. Back in high school I wrote a poem which I later dedicated to my grandfather who died that year. I don't share it with many people as the feelings within it are very private.

I used to play piano competatively. I took lessons for 10+ years and competed against local people earning high marks in every competition I attended.

I enjoy showing cats. We have five, and all but one of them have been in the show ring at any given time. Three are retired, but my youngest - an ocicat by the name of Picasso is still very active in the show circuit and doing quite well.

I am a perfectionist to the Nth degree. I will be focusing on something completely unrelated to a given subject and suddenly freak out because I did something incorrectly on a task I completed hours ago. I find this attribute shines in my quilting as well. I will rip out a seam over and over until I am happy with it. They say we are our own worst critics and that certainly is true for me.

I don't talk about it much, but sometimes I have premonitions about things. Typically they are not about me, but about others around me that I like or care about. Any time I experience said premonitions they have been 100% accurate - to the point that it even gives me chills to recollect. They come to me in a similar way to dreams - it's hard to explain how I tell the difference. It's more vivid, more real somehow.

I had one once about the daughter of a coworker - one day she walked into the shop and I knew that she wouldn't be around in a few months. It wasn't anything she did or said, just a feeling that crept up my spine. Sure enough, a month later she was in a car accident and was killed.

More recently I had one about a friend of mine who was being stalked. I suddenly had a premonition that the man who was stalking her would go into the hotel she was staying at, pull the fire alarm to get her to come out and the time would be around 4:30 AM (I think, it was a while ago, I may have the time wrong now). Days later that exact thing happened, but since I told her she didn't come out of the room until they were certain that it was a fire. Wouldn't you know the hotel staff saw the man drive away quickly in his car after most of the hotel occupants had been safely evacuated and he saw no sign of her.

Freaky huh?

Fear of the Unknown

Sadly, I find myself disappointed in humanity today. Today was voting day and one of the issues on the ballot was to grant recognition to domestic partnerships for gay folks. Another was to add an ammendment to the constition that marriage is only between "one man and one woman".

I will state for the record I am not gay, but I have always felt passionately about issues around the gay population. I have gay friends, a number of them in fact, so that may influence me some, but not much as I felt this way before I met them.

One of the biggest problems I have with Colorado Springs is Focus on the Family (or Poke Us In The Fanny as Beosig likes to call it) is the influence they have over the general population. One of the things Focus on the Family has pushed (and hard!) is how gay people don't deserve any recognition, voice, or other rights granted to all humans on the face of this earth. Unfortunately you can see this view echoed in the general population in Colorado Springs, and I truely feel a large part of the reason for that is that people are afraid of standing up to Focus on the Family. I on the other hand have always said I'd like to work for them and corrupt them from the inside out. How fun!

Pardon me, but aren't gay people human too? Am I wrong? Being gay is NOT contagious, there is no reason to discriminate against them. I think maybe the reason I feel so strongly about this is because it rings of the same battle that women went through (and are still fighting) to be seen as equals in the world. How is it different when the subject is about sexual preference rather than gender? Same battle, years later.

Just now I am hearing that the two issues that would help gay folk out have been shot down. What are we afraid of people? I am sorely disappointed in the fact that people just can't seem to open their eyes and see the big picture. Grow a backbone for heaven's sake! We can't keep sweeping this under a rug like it never happened. Eventually it will get out and we'll have to deal with it. I'm opting for sooner rather than later.

I could dedicate pages upon pages to my point of view on sexual preferences and discrimination but I will save my breath for now. Perhaps another time.

Rock the Boat

Turns out I was right. Erik (my boss) put in his two weeks notice. His last day will be the 17th. Apparently he had been planning on leaving this year prior to Ty's departure anyway. That doesn't make it any less sad though.

I'm two for two in this respect. Joe has also put in his two weeks notice and will be leaving on the 17th as well. Go figure. Can I pick 'em or what?

In light of the newest change, I started thinking about if I would be interested in taking over his role. The more I think about it, the more I like the thought. I told our CFO I was interested after our meeting with management. The meeting was scheduled to be a task update and overview of things that needed done but turned out to be more a pep talk - and an effective one at that. I set up an appointment to chat with the CEO in detail about this.

Understand, I know nothing about managing people, but I get along well with everyone and I feel I could represent us without problems. I have done training and assigned tasks to others in the past though, so it can't be a huge stretch from what I have done in the past.

Today I discussed my interest in one of the team lead positions with the CEO. He was rather surprised to hear of my interest, and glad to hear what I had to say. However, he was frank with me (as I was with him) that with all we have coming down the pipe basically Jason would be the option they're leaning towards at the moment. I'm ok with that, but I have to admit the idea of putting managing team members on my resume (especially after only one year at this job) is rather appealing.