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work talk wednesday: good job!

Posted on by jplatt27

have you had a chance to think about how your work and identity effect each other since last week? if so, share your experience in the comments!

today’s edition of work talk wednesday is about recognition.

[source]

today’s topic came to mind after mike was recognized in a staff meeting yesterday. [thanks for the idea, mike! and good job!]

recognition is important in the workplace. recognition can be about big successes–an event running smoothly, or surpassing sales goals–or smaller ones–handling an irate customer with grace, or completing a project ahead of a deadline. it can take many forms: praise in a meeting or a group email, a raise or promotion, an additional day off, a bonus, an office, lunch out, or even a high-five. it makes the employee feel valued and appreciated, and lets them know that their hard work isn’t going unnoticed.  it can also help to rejuvenate an employee or to make them feel like a part of the team. and recognition doesn’t only have to come from managers or those higher up (of course it’s nice when it does), it can also come from teammates, other colleagues, client, etc. no matter what it’s for or how it’s done, recognition feels good. employers should make an effort to have rewards and recognition in place but as employees, we should go out of our way to recognize our colleagues for a job well done.

so tell me:

when was the last time you were recognized at work?  how were you recognized?

let’s do it:

sometime in the next week, recognize someone you work with.  it can be a teammate, a direct report, a colleague, an intern, or even your manager.  (if you need help on how to do this, let me know.)

i want my mom

Posted on by jplatt27

i fell asleep on the couch earlier and woke up thinking about my mom. now i’m just a crying mess thinking about how i miss her.  does anyone else daydream about sitting on the couch next to their mom and putting their head on her shoulder?  i just want to give her a hug, fall into her arms like a big baby, and have her tell me that i’m ok.

granted, i’m sure she’ll be a pain in my butt within the first 5 mins of seeing her next when she tells me that i should try a “normal comforter” next time instead of a duvet or asks if she can “make a suggestion” about the way my kitchen is arranged. it seems like she bothers me a lot when we’re together or on the phone though thankfully this has lessened since my wedding. this irritation has got to be a defense mechanism. like how before you go to away to college you start to think home is the worst place ever and can’t wait to get out and it makes the transition less hard. like if she’s a complete pain in the you-know-what, i won’t think about how much i miss her. it has to be. because i miss her. so much.

oh, by the way, it was her birthday this week.  send belated happy birthday thoughts her way!

do you miss your mom? if so, or if not, call her and tell her you love her. she’ll be glad to hear from you.

and now that i have a headache from sobbing like a baby and it’s way past my bedtime, i should go to bed.

 

book review: the best advice i ever got

Posted on by jplatt27

katie couric’s the best advice i ever got: lessons from extraordinary lives is full of vignettes by successful people from all walks of life describing advice they were given or advice they’d give based on lessons they learned along the way.  there are words of wisdom from ellen degeneres, matt lauer, jay leno, jimmy carter, tyra banks, the ceo of twitter, the ceo of google, and morgan freeman to name a few.

the book is organized into ten different sections: “on courage and self-confidence,” “on hard work and tenacity,” “on pluck and perseverance,” “on passion and dreams,” “on doing what’s right,” “on rejection and resilience,” “on mentors and encouragement,” “on commitment and contribution,” “on taking risks and seeking opportunity,” “on wisdom and happiness.”

this is definitely a book i want to own.  i can see myself picking it up off my bookshelf when i need encouragement, inspiration, or just a good read on the bus.  there were parts that struck me as relevant to the place i’m at now and i’m sure others will resonate later.

if katie couric asked you, “what’s the best advice you ever got,” what would you say??

work talk wednesday: job and identity

Posted on by jplatt27

after a hiatus last week, work talk wednesday is back.  today we’re talking about jobs and identity.

whether we like it or not, our jobs become a part of our identity. sometimes in how we define ourselves and at other times in how friends, family, strangers view us. when meeting someone for the first time, we are often asked “so, what do you do?” and when we answer this question we don’t tell them what we do in our free time, we tell them what we do for a living.

today i share three examples of how jobs intertwine with identity/perception and hope that you’ll share your experience or thoughts too.

_____________

i wanted to be a teacher for as long as i can remember.  i dreamed of inspiring students, imparting wisdom on them, life-lessons shared through math, songs, my experiences and theirs.  i was going to build confidence and postitive attitudes.  i wanted to teach my students to be good people, to encourage them to follow their dreams and to dream big.  i was going to change the world one student at a time.

i taught for 3 months before realizing that teaching wasn’t a good fit for me.  while i loved the kids and was a fine teacher, the lesson planning and pressure i put on myself to do it all and be everything to everyone consumed me.  leaving teaching was one of the hardest decisions i ever made.  it was one of my biggest dreams but one i had to walk away from.

sometimes i still think of myself as a teacher.

_____________

we moved to dc a week after college graduation so that mike could pursue a job on capitol hill.  after a brief period of networking, mike was offered the first job he interviewed for: staff assistant for a pennsylvania congressman.  mike loved the hustle and bustle of the hill, being at the center of it all.  after losing his job as a result of the 2010 election, mike found a job off the hill. last week i sent mike a link to belle‘s post about things she misses about being a hill staffer, and after reading it mike said he really related to some of her sentiments. it struck me when he noted that now when he tells people he lives in dc and they ask what he does, he’ll preface his answer with “i used to work on the hill and now i…” because there is just something about life on the hill. working on the hill tells the listener something about him.

____________

my mom owns a tanning salon and works there during the week.  she is very friendly with her customers and they often get to talking. when she mentions something about running the business, women reply “you own this place?” in disbelief and shock. even though, the customers are impressed it bothers my mom that this is the case. she thinks “what difference does it make?”

____________

here are just three examples of work intersecting with identity. do any of these sound familiar to you?  do you or does someone you know have a similar or different experience with their job and it’s impact on their identity.  how does it work for you?

magnolia's at the mill

Posted on by jplatt27

while we were in virginia wine country for a night away at stone manor bed and breakfast we went to dinner at magnolia’s at the mill.

i’ll admit that i didn’t have the highest expectations going into magnolia’s at the mill. i figured it would be fine, a filling dinner out, but nothing special.  boy, was i wrong.

we started with some nice fall beers. mike had brooklyn octoberfest and i had post road pumpkin. beth suggested the calamari so we had that for our appetizer.

it was yummy but i was probably in more of a salad mood. we took our time before ordering dinner.  i had the seared pepita spiced scallops with sweet potato mousse and brussels sprouts. i was so impressed when my food came out.

the deep orange of the sweet potato and the vibrant green of the brussels sprouts were so striking together, the toasted crushed pepitas looked like crunchy fall leaves on top of the scallops.  the potatoes were so smooth and had a light sweetness to them while the pepitas had a crunch and saltiness that provided a nice contrast.  the scallops were perfectly cooked and so were the brussels sprouts. home run!

mike had the lothar’s sausage plate. mike says “it was great. (smile).  no, it was the perfect meal for a cold, rainy night.”

for dessert we shared the chocolate chip cookie sundae. the cookie was right out of the oven so it was warm and gooey and the vanilla ice-cream melted nicely on top of it. honestly, this exceeded my expectations. a chocolate chip cookie sundae is such a simple dish that could so easily be mediocre. but not at magnolia’s. it’s clear that they put thought into their food.

aside from the delicious food, the service was great.  our server let us relax and stretch our meal. he was also really knowledgeable about the menu.

i highly recommend magnolia’s at the mill.

a night at stone manor

Posted on by jplatt27

as a wedding gift, my girlfriends gave mike and me a night at a bed and breakfast in virginia wine country. i picked mike up from the airport on sunday afternoon and we headed to stone manor bed and breakfast for a night of relaxation and catching up.  from reagan national airport, it was just a short hour and 20 minute drive into the rolling hills of northern virginia.  it’s always so nice to get out of the city for a bit, there’s something about seeing grass and trees as you drive.  it feels free.

we arrived at stone manor around 2:30, a half-hour before check-in, but were warmly welcomed by owners spencer and beth.

spencer took us right into the kitchen, offered us a glass of wine and took us on a tour of stone manor. spencer bought the house in 1986 and shortly after he met his “sweetheart” beth, they began transforming the house into the manor it is today.

our room, the manor suite, was the last stop on our tour.  after we put our things down and spent some time looking around, we settled in for a much needed afternoon nap. boy was the bed comfortable: soft but firm and those pillows! ah, it was so warm and cozy, perfect for a cold, rainy october afternoon. after our nap, we chose a movie, the pelican brief, from the dvd collection and got back in bed to watch a bit.  after about 45 mins (remember i’m not a movie person), it was time for a break.

mike went to read in the library and i followed shortly after looking for the wireless password. i heard some people in the kitchen and went to ask for the password.  beth was there with another guest and offered some homemade bread and hummus, followed by another glass of wine.  i stayed chatting for a bit and soon enough it was time for dinner.

at spencer and beth’s recommendation, mike and i headed to magnolia’s at the mill in purcellville, just a short 15 minute drive away. i wanted to stop and take pictures of the beautiful tree covered mountains in the distance and the chimney smoke billowing through the trees but it was raining so i just looked intently out the window. our meal was absolutely delicious (check back at 4pm for a post about dinner) and we drove back to stone manor with full bellies.

we took a relaxing bath in the huge jacuzzi tub using the bath salts beth made just for us. as i sit under blankets in our drafty apartment, i wish i was back in the warmth of the bath.  the warm water and scent of the lavender in bath salts was so calming.  we both commented how relaxed our muscles felt when we got out.  after the bath, mike watched the phillies and i blogged for a while.  though our stay was coming to an end as we went to bed for the night, we still had breakfast ahead of us in the morning.

a six course breakfast was served in the morning. the first course, pineapple and cheese grits was served in a martini glass. it sounds weird but was actually pretty good.  as beth said “anything with a pound of butter and ritz crackers has to be good.” juice was a blend of orange, pomegranate, and blueberry.  another guest proclaimed “this is the best juice i’ve ever had” and i might have to agree. it was so sweet but light and refreshing all at the same time.  next up was “the comfort food of the breakfast world, think of it as macaroni and cheese,” beth said. it was two kinds of potatoes, 3 or 4 types of cheese, heavy cream, and eggs. then we had sweet onion, sweet pepper, and cheese in a puff pastry. i know you’re wondering how we managed to fit anymore in at this point, but we did. you would’ve found a way to fit these in too: corn griddle cakes (beth’s great grandmother’s recipe), two types of homemade sausage–pork sausage with and chicken sausage with mango and habanero pepper, and rancher’s style thick cut bacon. finally to end the meal was a chocolate peanut butter muffin. this was an amazing meal made with love.

we had such a nice time at stone manor bed and breakfast. if you’re looking for rest and relaxation, i definitely recommend a night (or two).

thanks, girls!

operation bed-bug

Posted on by jplatt27

the friday after we got back from ocean city, mike noticed some bites on his stomach and hip.  “maybe they’re bed bugs?” i suggested.  we did a quick google search and the images that popped up looked kind of similar to mike’s bites but we couldn’t be certain. we checked our sheets and bed and didn’t find any signs of bugs.

when i got back from the gym the next morning, three laundry baskets sat piled high in the middle of our living room and i could tell mike wasn’t in the happy, peppy, post-workout mood i was in.  “i’m really worried about bed bugs,” he said.  sighs and pacing followed.  not from me, from him. though mike thoroughly checked our sheets and mattress for signs of bed bugs we spent the rest of the day doing laundry.

a week later, i woke up scratching my arm.  and then i noticed some bites.  there were quite a few in a concentrated area.  i showed mike and went on to eat breakfast and check email.  about 20 mins later, i could sense some stress (perhaps after a few sighs) and mike admitted to being worried about bed bugs again. he said he wanted me to visit a doctor so we could find out for sure.  as a compromise, i said i’d ask around at work and see what people thought. at work, reviews were mixed. i did a google image search this time and thought that the bites didn’t look too much like mine. thinking he’d come to the same conclusion, i told mike to do the same.

when i got home that night, mike said “the more i think about it, the more i think those pictures look a lot like yours.” he had a website about bed bugs up on his computer and told me to take a look.  i start reading and clicking around and the website said something like “if you need evidence of bed bugs so that a landlord or management company will send an exterminator but don’t have evidence of bed bugs on your sheets or mattress, only bites, then you’ll need to catch a bed bug” with “catch a bed bug” hyperlinked.  out of sheer curiosity, i clicked on the link.

the article described an old-fashioned way to catch bed bugs: put vaseline on the legs of your bed frame so that when the bed bugs try to crawl up, they’ll get stuck.  this seems like an easy test.  i share this with mike and he heads to the linen closet to get the vaseline. he sits on the floor beside our bed, pulls up the bed skirt, dips his fingers in the vaseline and gets to work.  i come running in with the camera.  “please don’t take my picture.” snap.  “i said, please don’t take my picture.”  “why not,” i giggle, “this is so funny.” when i try to take another, mike gets mad.  “stop!” he says.  i run away, mad that he won’t let me have some fun with this.  when we get in bed that night mike says that he doesn’t want people to know about this, that it’s for-lack-of-a-better-term embarrassing. i still think it’s super funny and ask if i can write about it if it turns into nothing.

first thing the next morning mike grabs the flashlight to inspect our trap.  fortunately no bed bugs. mike read that it can take a few days to catch any so he reapplies the next night and we wait a few more days. at this point, there are still no signs of bed bugs so i think we’re in the clear.  we probably have one random bug every now and then, i mean something is biting us, but thankfully we’re not letting bed bugs bite.

free weekend

Posted on by jplatt27

mike’s out of town for work this weekend and i’m completely free tonight and all day tomorrow.  i came home from work and did this:

then i made these:

my friend leigh anne is coming over in a little while for wine and dvr.  gotta love a chill girls night.

other than dinner with my sister tomorrow i’m completely free. i have nothing to do. nothing. of course there are a million things i want to do:

get breakfast, coffee, and blog at politics and prose, go to a body flow class, go shopping and get myself some fall clothes and shoes (maybe this should fall into the what i should do category??), call a friend and go for a nice long walk, go see the help, etc.

and a million things i feel like i should do:

read/study for class, do laundry, go grocery shopping, sweep our bedroom floor, clean the bathroom, review our wedding photos and place the order, return some things to target, you get the idea.

but in order to have the most enjoyable saturday possible, i need to just do whatever it is i feel like doing when i wake up in the morning.  if it’s any one of these things, great.  if it’s something else, fine.

what are you up to this weekend?  what do you do with a free saturday?

waiting for daylight savings

Posted on by jplatt27

this time of the year is really challenging for me.  my energy levels are low and motivation to do things is minimal. my attention span is super short and i have a hard time concentrating. (honestly, i’m pushing myself to get this post written.) all i want to do is get in bed and stay there and i’m kind of down overall.

it’s because the sun comes out so late in the morning.  i’m usually a morning person and wake up when it gets to be a certain lightness out/somewhere around 5:30. for spring and summer these times are very close to each other and i’m high functioning, happy, and energetic. but from now until daylight savings on november 6 that’s a lot later than usual and i struggle to feel like me. it will be better for a few weeks after daylight savings but by january it will be difficult again.  this experience is not uncommon.  in fact, it’s called seasonal affective disorder–funny that the abbreviation is s.a.d.

i’m going to have to work extra hard to take care of myself and manage my mood during this time.  for me that means making a concerted effort to get to the gym (difficult because i’m a morning gym person but am having trouble getting up), cooking and eating foods that will give me energy, and spending time with friends. hopefully doing these things will help. if not, i may need to find a plan b.

talk to me

do you feel tired, unmotivated or depressed at certain times of the year?  what helps you feel like yourself again?