On the Tensile Strength of Camels' Backs Relative to the Application of Straw
So, lots of things going on lately. If you've read the post below, you know that Zigs is having another bout of stomach problems. Or, if you see no need to keep up with this on a regular basis, (and I can hardly fault you for that) you have just now been so informed by reading the previous sentence.
Everyone with me so far? Splendid. Let's continue.
I went out to check on him last night, and he was back to his old self, face buried in the round bale, demanding treats, all of the behaviour I've come to expect out of my 20-going-on-3 Thoroughbred. At this point, I'm still crossing my fingers that he simply didn't drink enough, and had a minor impaction. (Yes, observant readers, you've seen this before. I'm bringing our new readers up to speed. I'm getting to a point.) So far, that seems to have been the case. However, (wait for it.) if past experience is a guide, in a week or so, he'll have another episode. If that happens, then we have another round of ulcers on our hands, which probably means that he is going to have a chronic issue with them. This had always been a suspicion of mine since I had him scoped at Elgin, but hope does indeed spring eternal. While Ziggy was colicking Friday, my Dressage trainer asked me if I'm planning to retire Ziggy once I move . At the time, I was more worried about making sure my horse was OK, and didn't really have an answer for her. I saw her again on Monday, and we talked about it a bit more. Vanessa is very much of the opinion that it's time to retire Ziggy due to the fact that I've been doing exactly what I'm supposed to, and he's still having problems. I've been giving it a lot of thought over the last few days, and as I was talking to Dawn after riding Sonata last night, I came to a realization: Ziggy already is retired. I'm not riding him in lessons, showing him, or taking him to SCA events. I use Sonata for all of that stuff. Am I giving up on Ziggy? Oh hell no. I will continue to ride and re-condition him until I can't anymore. He's too sweet a guy to just put out to pasture and ignore. So, for those of you keeping score at home, business will continue as usual. To those readers hoping for a catharsis of insight and resolution, I am sorry to disappoint. You deserve better, and I will be better. If this fails to assuage your disappointment, as you are certainly within your rights to decide, I simply ask that you do not throw things at me and call me names.
That's rather enough of that, so let's move on, shall we?
Now on to work. I finally got my review results yesterday, and they were very favorable. My boss gave me the second-highest rating possible, and I apparently only just barely missed the highest rating due to my organization skills. That's the good news. The bad news, no pay raise attached to it. That was rather disappointing, but given the current economic climate, I wasn't too surprised to find out that HR put the kibbosh on raises for this review cycle. Under new rules put into place this year, if I continue to do my job well, I will be up for a promotion next year, which if I get, puts me two rungs below the executive-level technical track. While my boss and I were discussing what all this meant, he told me that I really need to think of where I want to be in 5 years, and start planning accordingly now. This brought about the somewhat unsettling realization that I have absolutely no clue where I want to be in 5 years. Well, I suppose that's not entirely true. I know I want to:
But as far as professionally? The hell if I know. I've been so focused on trying to retain my job in this current downturn that what my professional 5-year endgame is hasn't even entered into my mind. Racking my brain now, the best I can come up with is this:
Whether or not that means staying with my current employer remains to be seen. Several of the items on this list would be a very hard sell where I am now. In fact, the more I look over this, the less it seems likely where I want to be is where I am now. Although, given the current economic climate, at what point does one say enough is enough and make a move? Is it better in the long run to just deal with the things I don't like about my current employment and ride out the recession here? Or is now the perfect time to take a chance and make a move? I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, but for now, I've got plenty of thinking to do.
Everyone with me so far? Splendid. Let's continue.
I went out to check on him last night, and he was back to his old self, face buried in the round bale, demanding treats, all of the behaviour I've come to expect out of my 20-going-on-3 Thoroughbred. At this point, I'm still crossing my fingers that he simply didn't drink enough, and had a minor impaction. (Yes, observant readers, you've seen this before. I'm bringing our new readers up to speed. I'm getting to a point.) So far, that seems to have been the case. However, (wait for it.) if past experience is a guide, in a week or so, he'll have another episode. If that happens, then we have another round of ulcers on our hands, which probably means that he is going to have a chronic issue with them. This had always been a suspicion of mine since I had him scoped at Elgin, but hope does indeed spring eternal. While Ziggy was colicking Friday, my Dressage trainer asked me if I'm planning to retire Ziggy once I move . At the time, I was more worried about making sure my horse was OK, and didn't really have an answer for her. I saw her again on Monday, and we talked about it a bit more. Vanessa is very much of the opinion that it's time to retire Ziggy due to the fact that I've been doing exactly what I'm supposed to, and he's still having problems. I've been giving it a lot of thought over the last few days, and as I was talking to Dawn after riding Sonata last night, I came to a realization: Ziggy already is retired. I'm not riding him in lessons, showing him, or taking him to SCA events. I use Sonata for all of that stuff. Am I giving up on Ziggy? Oh hell no. I will continue to ride and re-condition him until I can't anymore. He's too sweet a guy to just put out to pasture and ignore. So, for those of you keeping score at home, business will continue as usual. To those readers hoping for a catharsis of insight and resolution, I am sorry to disappoint. You deserve better, and I will be better. If this fails to assuage your disappointment, as you are certainly within your rights to decide, I simply ask that you do not throw things at me and call me names.
That's rather enough of that, so let's move on, shall we?
Now on to work. I finally got my review results yesterday, and they were very favorable. My boss gave me the second-highest rating possible, and I apparently only just barely missed the highest rating due to my organization skills. That's the good news. The bad news, no pay raise attached to it. That was rather disappointing, but given the current economic climate, I wasn't too surprised to find out that HR put the kibbosh on raises for this review cycle. Under new rules put into place this year, if I continue to do my job well, I will be up for a promotion next year, which if I get, puts me two rungs below the executive-level technical track. While my boss and I were discussing what all this meant, he told me that I really need to think of where I want to be in 5 years, and start planning accordingly now. This brought about the somewhat unsettling realization that I have absolutely no clue where I want to be in 5 years. Well, I suppose that's not entirely true. I know I want to:
- Be in a substantially better financial state
- Be either building a house at the ranch, or very close to breaking ground
- Have bought Zhizhu a horse
- Have gone to Gulf Wars at least once
- Have bought a truck
But as far as professionally? The hell if I know. I've been so focused on trying to retain my job in this current downturn that what my professional 5-year endgame is hasn't even entered into my mind. Racking my brain now, the best I can come up with is this:
- Be able to work from home a couple days a week
- Become a lead dev, but still be doing programming
- Continue to make moneys
- Not have to carry a pager
- Work in a place with a more relaxed corporate culture
- Work at a company where I have a very high degree of job security
Whether or not that means staying with my current employer remains to be seen. Several of the items on this list would be a very hard sell where I am now. In fact, the more I look over this, the less it seems likely where I want to be is where I am now. Although, given the current economic climate, at what point does one say enough is enough and make a move? Is it better in the long run to just deal with the things I don't like about my current employment and ride out the recession here? Or is now the perfect time to take a chance and make a move? I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, but for now, I've got plenty of thinking to do.