Performance Reviews

Seriously, who makes up these processes?

At my work you have to evaluate yourself and then rate yourself 1 to 5 (1 being the lowest) in specific categories. You can't give yourself a 5 because 'noone' gets a 5 or you'd be perfect and conversely 1 is also out of bounds because well you'd be asking your boss to fire you. So the real range is 2-4. If you do give yourself a 4 you'd better be exceptional in that area because.... right after you rate yourself and then justify it with a paragraph or two (or more I can never figure out how much I should write), the supervisor then rates you and justifies his ratings.

It's usually an ambush...

An annual ceremony of humiliation designed to put you in your place perhaps? Maybe it's just my supervisor and it's more 'fair' elsewhere. Because the scale is so small, each increment is a world of difference. If your supervisor is kind of a dick, then you look out to lunch just by having a different rating. And really does your opinion matter that much? Doubtful.

Regardless, the person you approves your pay raise is the same person evaluating you so just tell me already how you think I did and leave it at that. Don't ambush me...

First World Problems

So it's been a while and I suppose a few things have happened in the meantime.
Nathan is 4 and in preschool, Jacob is 7 and in Grade 2.
I still work at Interpipeline Fund..... maybe not that much has happened after all? 

I think I'm caught in doldrums of sorts. Brain not functioning like it should.

I go to work, I get home, I play with my kids, I spend time with my wife, I watch TV, I go to sleep, rinse and repeat.
Throw in a smattering of church, video games, date nights and Friday Night Magic (look it up) and there you have it.


Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm particularly unhappy, angry, or anything, it's just that I feel like I'm missing .... something.

I crave something, anything that could be construed as creative. I've always been able to better express myself with written words as opposed to verbal skills which for the most part elude me. I like to ruminate over the sentence before committing to the 'publish'. Not something that is easily done in realtime. The pauses are the nonverbal cue's that get me in trouble over imagined slights.

Every once in a while I come back to my blog, it makes for interesting reading. The passion that I felt during those moments was both dreadful, stressful and at the same time exhilarating.

It could simply be that I've reached the pinnacle of my life summit and should be content to enjoy the view.

Geez this sounds mediocre at best. Depressing at worst.

My 'other' First World problems :)
- The water that comes out of my tap is sometimes too Hot... then I have to adjust the Cold water in order to be comfortable.
- I ate frozen pizza last night when I really wanted fresh pizza.... or sushi... but I didn't feel like making anything or getting into my vehicle and driving somewhere.
- The autocorrect on my iphone 5 sometimes makes silly corrections
- My IT department at work asked me to stop streaming media at work so I had to turn on my radio instead or use the data plan on my iphone.
- The LTE coverage in Sherwood Park is spotty and sometimes I have to settle for 3G