Meet My Parents / 2 Year Mark
Two nights ago, Nicole finally met my parents after a month of date shifting. The four of us struck out for an evening meal at a local restaurant after meeting at the family house in Hillsboro. It was exactly as I expected it to be: Low impact, casual, friendly and short. Don't get me wrong: This was a great evening and everyone had a great time. Of course we all were a bit nervous which is why I decided on the meeting being a meal out on neutral ground instead of an awkward dinner in. We got in a few hours of chatting with my mother and Nicole really hitting it off. I knew my girlfriend would shine like the gem she is and she did nothing less than that.
I'm proud of Nicole and my parents. My folks could have barraged my new girl with a lot of direct and personal questions considering her unique background and history, but I think just seeing her for real helped the stereotypes wash away. After months of speculation, the parents were finally shown a tangible lady who's happy and warm and outgoing and healthy and maybe all that immediately melted their fears. It was a great night and a big sigh of relief. Now that she's met my parents, it's time to introduce Nicole to my siblings and their significant others. Probably Thanksgiving, hopefully...
So I've hit the two year mark at my current job. Two years ago plus a week or two, I began working as a production technician at one of the dozens of wafer fabs here near Portland in our Silicon Forest. Almost immediately, I stood out for my IT background and was trained for a brand new support position to assist the fab for computer problems in addition to continuing my production work. Six months ago, I was fully converted into an IT role but have slowly begun being released back to working on the production floor. The IT role will never fully go away, but as time goes on, I realize I will not be compensated or properly recognized for the extraordinary position, title, and responsibility that's been thrust upon me in addition to continuing the work I was hired for. Plus, speaking of Thanksgiving, guess who's working the night before, the night of, and the night after turkey day this year? Yup. Ohh, and there'll be no Christmas time off this year, either. No Thanksgiving, no Black Friday, no Christmas and even no New Years. Ho ho ho.
But hey; no hate. I know publicly traded corporations exist solely to make investors money-not really for any other reason, arguably-and employees like me are the expendable foot soldiers who make that money appear. I'm not mad because I completely understand and accept my role. Like I said, I'm just disappointed that I'm not being cherished and appreciated as much as I feel I deserve. I wanted this company to keep me and I believe I've become irreplaceable, but working this job always was a temporary thing just to make my resume glow a bit. Now that I've hit two years and am awaking to what the company truly thinks about me (Naive and exploitable), it's probably time to take the hint and move along. I feel bad about the coworkers I'll be leaving behind who have come to depend and rely on me always being a phone call away. Those are the ones who will truly feel the pain.
I'm proud of Nicole and my parents. My folks could have barraged my new girl with a lot of direct and personal questions considering her unique background and history, but I think just seeing her for real helped the stereotypes wash away. After months of speculation, the parents were finally shown a tangible lady who's happy and warm and outgoing and healthy and maybe all that immediately melted their fears. It was a great night and a big sigh of relief. Now that she's met my parents, it's time to introduce Nicole to my siblings and their significant others. Probably Thanksgiving, hopefully...
So I've hit the two year mark at my current job. Two years ago plus a week or two, I began working as a production technician at one of the dozens of wafer fabs here near Portland in our Silicon Forest. Almost immediately, I stood out for my IT background and was trained for a brand new support position to assist the fab for computer problems in addition to continuing my production work. Six months ago, I was fully converted into an IT role but have slowly begun being released back to working on the production floor. The IT role will never fully go away, but as time goes on, I realize I will not be compensated or properly recognized for the extraordinary position, title, and responsibility that's been thrust upon me in addition to continuing the work I was hired for. Plus, speaking of Thanksgiving, guess who's working the night before, the night of, and the night after turkey day this year? Yup. Ohh, and there'll be no Christmas time off this year, either. No Thanksgiving, no Black Friday, no Christmas and even no New Years. Ho ho ho.
But hey; no hate. I know publicly traded corporations exist solely to make investors money-not really for any other reason, arguably-and employees like me are the expendable foot soldiers who make that money appear. I'm not mad because I completely understand and accept my role. Like I said, I'm just disappointed that I'm not being cherished and appreciated as much as I feel I deserve. I wanted this company to keep me and I believe I've become irreplaceable, but working this job always was a temporary thing just to make my resume glow a bit. Now that I've hit two years and am awaking to what the company truly thinks about me (Naive and exploitable), it's probably time to take the hint and move along. I feel bad about the coworkers I'll be leaving behind who have come to depend and rely on me always being a phone call away. Those are the ones who will truly feel the pain.