Simmer Down, Employers – I’m Off the Job Market

January 24, 2012 By 2 Comments

Many of you have been keeping tabs on me with regards to my employment status, so I’m happy to report that I’ve been on an assignment with my new gig for the past week and a half. It’s been pretty awesome, I must say, and I’ve definitely found myself in good company. The job comes with decent pay, some excellent benefits and a whole slew of on-the-job training and experience.

I figured I’d post a short list of some responsibilities found in the job description. I’m certain I wasn’t the most qualified candidate, but I think I’m filling my role quite nicely.

  • Foster a healthy environment for one-on-one communication with team members.
  • Construct an array of engaging resources for the development and growth of team members.
  • Monitor work environment and ensure it is kept tidy and organized at all times.
  • Adhere to schedule and time restraints with promptness and punctuality.
  • Assess and diffuse hostile and chaotic situations at a moments notice.
  • Deal with unfavorable and unsatisfactory team output swiftly, ensuring to file the proper paperwork.
  • Frequently assess sentiment of team members and strive to keep morale high – deploying any means necessary, regardless of how off the wall a solution may seem.
  • Encourage communication of team members with internal and external communities.
  • Use expert discretion to provide additional resources when necessary – or when team members are particularly fussy that afternoon.

This is one fussy team member - wouldn't you agree?Who doesn’t have “fussy” “team members”? It’s been quite the learning experience being a stay-at-home daddy. I can’t tell you how many profound lessons this little guy teaches me every single day. Couple that with attempting to build my business in the flitters of silence found during nap times, it’s a recipe for a long, long day.

It’s been interesting to explain my daily workload to friends, particularly those without kids of their own. A list like this is hardly an exaggeration, and I often find myself completely drained at the end of the day. Is it worth it? You bet.

I go back and forth on creating a separate stream of tweets for all the amusing little stories that come out of our day together. But for now, just go ahead and follow my primary Twitter account for funny stories, silly observations and a daily spit up tabulation.

Filed Under: Day Job, family news, Life with the Romack's, Uncategorized

Patience is a Virtue – that I’m Still Acquiring

January 12, 2012 By 6 Comments

You think it looks painful - try having this thing jammed into your eye.

No stone will be left unturned, no road untravelled as we continue journeying through all the possibilities to keep my eyesight as functional as possible. The eyedrops that I mentioned last month proved unsuccessful on their own – and now we turn to steroid injections directly into the eye as a solution to getting the vision stabilized again. There’s a bit of inflammation in the tissue that was transplanted in September, so I’ll stay on the drops through this first dosage of steroid to see if the swelling decreases.

I must confess that the past 24 hours hasn’t been without complaining. Once the steroid is injected into the eye, very little usable vision is present. Basically, the steroid covers the entirety of my visual field, so not much of anything gets to the back of my eye, including light. It’s intimidating and a little scary – but I’m holding onto hope that there’s something brilliant on the other side of this dark and fuzzy mess.

Patience and hope are all I can cling to through this waiting period. Have I ever mentioned how truly impatient I am? I huff and puff when I wait on my cherry Pop-Tart to bound out of the toaster – you can only imagine what the wait is like for better eyesight. There are times I want to give up, times where I grapple fears and doubts, and others where I’m so consumed with impatience that I get angry, sometimes even livid. It’s hard to believe that I was weeks, maybe days, away from seeing our little boy’s face.

I’ve come to learn so much about myself through this journey. I have to struggle with surrendering my impatience for the sake of my family. I’ve had to embrace the notion that my doctors, though with skilled hands and tenured insights, are only instruments of an even greater Physician. It’s been a long road thus far – but I know that we’ve yet to see the last of the twists and turns. 

I can’t see a thing right now, with the exception of some light. My first followup is February 15th and we’ll evaluate the effectiveness of the steroid injection, whether another round is necessary or whether the treatment option will be ongoing. The dosage used can last about two months, so if this does indeed resolve some of the vision loss I’m experiencing, this could be the routine for us, as frustrating as it may be.

Thanks for sticking around as we turn the page. I can’t tell you how much the support means to us. I’ll update as I notice changes – for better or worse.

Filed Under: blindness, family news Tagged With: , , , ,

I’d Rather Have a Root Canal than Buy a New Car

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

A 2011 Honda CRV. Its color is glacier blue, which is a medium tint blue with a metallic sheen to it.I said we wouldn’t do it, but having a kid changes a lot of things, one of which being holiday travel arrangements. Our plan was to stay in College Station for Christmas this year, mostly because neither of us expected to meet Tyson before his due date in mid-December. Alas – he came a few weeks earlier than expected and, of course, we made the trek into Arlington for the holiday get-together with my family.

It became readily apparent as I played cargo Tetris for the umpteenth time – the Romacks teeny, tiny Honda Fit wasn’t really fitting much of anything. It’s amazing how roomy those things are – when it’s just Angela and me sucking up the oxygen inside the cabin of this subcompact. Add a dog, or two, and another human being, and you’ve got a recipe for cramped and cranky commuters.

Imagine my surprise when, coincidentally, the good folks at Rusty Wallace Honda in Dallas hit up our phone with an intriguing proposition. It’s the same old song and dance – they’re in need of used vehicles, ours is a couple years old, they want it and will offer us a brand new vehicle for no money down and the same monthly payment. As I unravel the offer a bit, we negotiate that, for a few extra bucks each month, our growing family will step into the SUV terrain with Honda’s snappy little CRV.

I don’t like buying cars. Sure – I love to inhale the sweet aroma of glorious new car scent for a few months, but I’m not keen on dealing with the middle man needed to have this said scent grace my nostrils. Don’t get me wrong, Rusty Wallace Honda is hands down where we’ll buy our cars time after time because they’ve done good business with us on every occasion. I just can’t help but get a little irritated by the false flattery and disingenuous buddy-buddy conversation that goes down with many of the car salesman I’ve  encountered through the years.

You know what, though? I have to catch myself from slipping into the slick salesman, hyper-personable businessman mode from time to time. It’s always a humbling experience when I buy cars because it pits me against these expertly trained and highly motivated fast talkers – and reminds me that I can’t base my business on smooth talking and ulterior motives.

As we take delivery of our sexy new set of wheels tomorrow afternoon, I will be sure to remember that I strive to establish my relationships on integrity. I foster transparency and openness with my friends, colleagues and clients. I say what I mean and mean what I say. I desire to cultivate a personal and professional brand that resonates these ideals – each and every time. Not just when a pitch hangs in the balance. Not because a deal is about to go down.

How are you striving for integrity in your marketplace? What ideals and principles do you desire to resonate with your network? Spare a few seconds and let me know in the comments.

Filed Under: communication, community management, social media and marketing, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts