The new year got off to a bang at work. I came back yesterday to find that my first-line boss (number one in the triad of evil that is management in my office) is being transferred to Boston and will be gone after this week. Shocked the @#$# out of me. Even more shocking, rather than replacing him with one of the usual toadying lackies, they're moving another supervisor in the office to be the supervisor here. She's fabulous. When I first started here 11+ years ago, she was my mentor and has been a good friend and resource since. I'm just flabbergasted that they made this choice. It will mean more work for me for awhile though because she's never worked in the area that my unit handles (I've been in and out of this unit for years, including as the supervisor of it from October of 2000 through February of 2003) so I know she'll be leaning on me. But she's someone that I would definitely like to help. We already had a talk today about things I felt could raise the morale of the unit and she really took them seriously. All I can say is wow, what a great new year surprise.
I decided against resolutions this year. I never keep resolutions and hate feeling like I've failed at something. Instead I decided to make a couple of goals. The first was to take off the 10 lbs I'd gained, but more than that to keep to healthy eating habits after the weight is off and to increase my exercise. So far so good. I'm on day 2 of the diet and I no maddening cravings yet, although I always find day 3 the worst. It's really time for it too, not just because it's the new year. Last night Brendan asked me where the bag was. I asked him what bag and he replied "The bag that comes to the door, so I can get some duck sauce." Hmmm, think perhaps I've had chinese food delivered a few times?
My second goal was start investing for college for Brendan. My only savings has been the Upromise account with the $191.18 in it. But after doing copious reading and comparing I opened a 529 account. I invested the Upromise money, the $100 Brendan got in checks for the holidays and set up a recurring pay deduction. And even though I have a Thrift Plan at work, the govt's equivalent to the 401K, I also decided to open a Roth IRA.
On a totally different note, I read an interesting article in the Washington Post yesterday about how parents are more likely to be depressed than non-parents.
Bundles of....MiseryThere was a discussion on my SMC group about whether those of us who have consciously chosen parenthood would be more or less likely to be depressed. I was thinking that in some ways the risk of depression would be lower for having consciously sought parenthood as opposed to having an "oops" pregnancy and feeling trapped. But I also wonder too if having longed for motherhood and consciously planned it, that we may be disillusioned by the actual experience of it. It's not the bed of roses that they try and sell you. I think also there is in some ways less support for you if you choose parenthood outside of the mainstream. Whether as a single mom by choice, as a two mom family, there's always that "aha, this is what you wanted, deal with it". It may not be explicit, but it's there nonetheless alot of the time. Always irks me since I could go get knocked up and be "poor Laura" but you make a conscious choice to be a parent and you made your bed and need to lay in it.
And on a completely irrelevant note, at lunch today I trekked over to Broadway in 30 something temps to hit the sale rack at Eddie Bauer, and it was closed down!! I was just there before the holidays and there was no indication it was going to close. I've got to have my Eddie Bauer fix, aaaaagh!!!!!!!!
