Roses & Thorns: Work Edition

Work this fall has been crazy. So crazy, in fact, that to prevent the stress-induced jaw clench that I'm prone to, I've taken to wearing my bottom retainer at all times. Yes, I'm that kid sporting the shlight lishp during meetings, phone calls, and coffee-pot conversations. Don't hate. The upside of that is that I can't clench my jaw with it in and it's working to straighten my teeth. I'm sure my boss things it's more wedding-induced than stress related, but I'm ok with that. I'll take the perception of vanity over tense jaw muscles any day!

Long intro to the real story. Yesterday I got called into my boss's office where she asked me if I wanted the good news or the bad news first.

Um. Bad. I'd always rather get that out of the way first. Seems to make the good news sound better, or at least end the session on a high note.

So the bad news is that there will be no merit-based raises this year. Understandable. Frankly, I'm just thankful to still have my job. But still, I think they typically give you a 3% bump just for playing nice at the office, which somewhat offsets inflation. Not getting that basically means taking a pay cut, in theory if not in number. So that's a bummer. Plus I've been working really hard toward the goals my boss and I set out last year at my annual review. Now, even if I get them all done, it will be "good job," not "good job, and we're thanking you with X." Greedy? I don't think so, but I guess it makes me more reward-oriented than I previously thought.

The "good" news is that we're unofficially getting three extra holiday vacation days this year. Why the quotes? Sure it's nice to get extra days off, but most people had already planned to take those days, therefore reserving those days and not taking vacation during the rest of 2008. It actually helps me because I can get out of town a little earlier than expected. It's no bonus, but it'll do!

So now that means I'm hitting the ground running even harder at work to get things done in advance so I can take advantage of those extra three days off. Otherwise, I'll still be in the office, and that's definitely a no-go.

For the next week and a half, I'm going to be writing, programming, and packing. Can't wait!