Two Week Illness / Another Relocation at Work / Nicole in California
I'm a couple weeks late posting an entry and that's party due to a mysterious and hard-hitting virus Nicole and I caught. It started with a sore throat that developed into a fever and inability to function or even stand. We were overwhelmed for several days; both of us missing work. Once the illness wound down, a near-constant cough started and since then we've been coughing wrecks. Now that the disease is finally vanquished and the cough is about gone, I can say this is probably the worst illness I've had in a decade. Not since I had mono eleven years ago have I been I that unable to function. On my worst night, I couldn't stand for more than ten seconds without nearly fainting and getting up the nerve/strength to even use the bathroom took hours. It wasn't the flu but it was something amazingly stupendous. Nicole had it slightly worse than me but once we started loading up on key vitamins, cough meds, and lots of liquids, the microscopic foe was swiftly defeated. We stayed away from friends and family and I'm thankful we didn't pass it onto anyone else. It is now safe once again to hang out with us!
Speaking of work, I'm once again being relocated within my workplace and sent to train in an area that is completely new to me. Every 9-12 months they do this to me. I think it's half because I'm too smart for my own good and half that I'm the third wheel in my regular work areas. The new area they're putting me in is a section of the fab where silicon wafers with chemical already on them are worn down so the chemical's surface is nice and smooth and of the right thickness. It's scary to me because so much of the work involves guessing and the guy who's training me might become difficult to work with. I say that because the last person who trained under him asked a lot of questions and he had no patience for answering. Soon, the trainee demanded of our bosses to be returned to his original area as there was a fair amount of hostility and mistrust bubbling beneath the surface. It ruined the rapport the two shared beforehand and now they don't speak to each other at all. Don't get me wrong, the guy is awesome, we get along great, and we seem to be on the same wavelength all the time. I'm confident I'll do just fine, but at the end of the day, I simply loathe the training process itself. As I've always maintained, the people I work with on my shift are excellent, fun, professional, great people. I'll never say otherwise.
This is just one more nail in the coffin of my employment at this place. Too often, they move me around, and I'm tired of it more than anything else. I'm tired of completely relearning my job every nine months while everyone else seems to get to stay in one place forever. They claim this is the final time they're going to move me, but we'll see if I'm around long enough to find out. I truly don't plan on being there much longer. Nicole and I are going to both begin looking for new jobs here in the very near future and all I can say is that working at this place has given me a clear picture about what I want out of a job: It's less about the money and more about my well being. It is time to go.
Also in current events, Nicole left for a short vacation earlier this week to visit her family and friends in northern California. When she was married to her ex, they made this trip often, but since their rocky divorce a year ago, Nicole hasn't been able to go until now. Even though it's strangely lonely and quiet here without her around, I'm thrilled she's had this opportunity to go "home." She's still working at a temp agency and asking for a week off after only six months of employment is risky but they let her have it.
Before she left, I sat down and wrote a letter for Nicole to hand-deliver to her parents. I have yet met or talk to them but I thought it would be prudent to somehow tell them about who their daughter has been living with. Short of tagging along on Nicole's trip, I knew I had to seize this opportunity to introduce myself in a thoughtful, respectful way. Naturally, I'm sure everyone she's visiting with right now is asking a million questions about the last eighteen months and especially asking about the mysterious new guy who's letting her live with him. It was my hope that my letter would make me seem more real and help answer some of those questions. It contained a brief history about myself and what I do as well as a summary of Nicole's time here and how she's doing. I made sure to mention how welcome she is as well as ways they can get ahold of me personally should they ever feel inclined. I was open, gracious, thankful, and brief. Nicole told me later that their reactions were positive. I was flattered to hear that her mother felt a response letter was necessary and that her father said, "You don't really get niceties like that anymore." I beamed from ear to ear when she went on to say that her ex never did anything like this and it meant a lot to everyone. I've done good.
Speaking of work, I'm once again being relocated within my workplace and sent to train in an area that is completely new to me. Every 9-12 months they do this to me. I think it's half because I'm too smart for my own good and half that I'm the third wheel in my regular work areas. The new area they're putting me in is a section of the fab where silicon wafers with chemical already on them are worn down so the chemical's surface is nice and smooth and of the right thickness. It's scary to me because so much of the work involves guessing and the guy who's training me might become difficult to work with. I say that because the last person who trained under him asked a lot of questions and he had no patience for answering. Soon, the trainee demanded of our bosses to be returned to his original area as there was a fair amount of hostility and mistrust bubbling beneath the surface. It ruined the rapport the two shared beforehand and now they don't speak to each other at all. Don't get me wrong, the guy is awesome, we get along great, and we seem to be on the same wavelength all the time. I'm confident I'll do just fine, but at the end of the day, I simply loathe the training process itself. As I've always maintained, the people I work with on my shift are excellent, fun, professional, great people. I'll never say otherwise.
This is just one more nail in the coffin of my employment at this place. Too often, they move me around, and I'm tired of it more than anything else. I'm tired of completely relearning my job every nine months while everyone else seems to get to stay in one place forever. They claim this is the final time they're going to move me, but we'll see if I'm around long enough to find out. I truly don't plan on being there much longer. Nicole and I are going to both begin looking for new jobs here in the very near future and all I can say is that working at this place has given me a clear picture about what I want out of a job: It's less about the money and more about my well being. It is time to go.
Also in current events, Nicole left for a short vacation earlier this week to visit her family and friends in northern California. When she was married to her ex, they made this trip often, but since their rocky divorce a year ago, Nicole hasn't been able to go until now. Even though it's strangely lonely and quiet here without her around, I'm thrilled she's had this opportunity to go "home." She's still working at a temp agency and asking for a week off after only six months of employment is risky but they let her have it.
Before she left, I sat down and wrote a letter for Nicole to hand-deliver to her parents. I have yet met or talk to them but I thought it would be prudent to somehow tell them about who their daughter has been living with. Short of tagging along on Nicole's trip, I knew I had to seize this opportunity to introduce myself in a thoughtful, respectful way. Naturally, I'm sure everyone she's visiting with right now is asking a million questions about the last eighteen months and especially asking about the mysterious new guy who's letting her live with him. It was my hope that my letter would make me seem more real and help answer some of those questions. It contained a brief history about myself and what I do as well as a summary of Nicole's time here and how she's doing. I made sure to mention how welcome she is as well as ways they can get ahold of me personally should they ever feel inclined. I was open, gracious, thankful, and brief. Nicole told me later that their reactions were positive. I was flattered to hear that her mother felt a response letter was necessary and that her father said, "You don't really get niceties like that anymore." I beamed from ear to ear when she went on to say that her ex never did anything like this and it meant a lot to everyone. I've done good.