Speaking of moving, we did the dirty deed again last week, for the 7th time since we've been married. I have now observed a number of signs that will clearly indicate that a person is moving too much:
1. You routinely consider having all your worldly belongings fitted with casters
2. You are familiar with 5 different techniques for utilizing "Mom's Attic" space on Uhaul trucks
3. Elder's quorum presidency members avoid eye contact when you draw near
4. You can take apart and re-assemble your bed frames in your sleep
5. You realize that the only difference between you and Odysseus is that Odysseus had a place that felt like home
6. You think that the green roll of saran-wrap stuff with a handle is, like, the coolest thing, ever.
7. You are constantly checking Craigslist for rental homes, just for kicks (Yes, I'm talking about you, Mari)
8. You consider hiring some "roadies" full time.
9. You own cardboard boxes that read: "
10. Frequent movement of large sums for prorated rent, last month's rent, new damage deposit, returned damage deposit, etc. cause feds to think you are laundering money for the Arellano Félix drug cartel.
The move itself went as well as can possibly be expected, given that Mari was 7.7 months pregnant. My brother in law Yu flew in from Orem to help, and Stu came over on Thursday night (the 20th) which allowed us to get the piano and other heavy stuff done. In the end, moving is just a pain - that's all there is to it. It consists of hefting large bulky items with sharp corners up and down steps. It creates skinned knuckles, bruised shins, blood-blistered fingers, and sore backs. My brother in law was smart enough to swipe one of those ubiquitous back brace/suspender thingys from the loading dock at his company before he came. He said it made a big difference. Another thing that made the move go better is that I had a comp-day coming at work, and asked my boss for 2 more because of the silly weekend sales meeting. He capitulated.
Work is going ok, although my boss has been too busy to give me anything to do. I know this sounds strange, but he has been trying to get a product that I'm not familiar with out the door, so has been totally preoccupied. I did have a good annual review with my boss a few weeks ago. He gave me the highest raise that 'the man' allows, although 'the man' is a notorious tight-wad. He also gave me something called a long term incentive award. Essentially, it is a stock grant that takes a certain number of years to vest (also known as "golden handcuffs" because if you leave the company, much of your future award is lost). Considering that the total amount of this year's award was quite small, I think that "feldspar handcuffs" would be a more appropriate label. Not that I'm ungrateful - I appreciate anything that I get.
I happened to be out surfing with my boss's boss a couple of weeks ago, who was sure to reiterate that the award was 'really special'. I like my boss's boss (and my boss for that matter), but I made a mental note after that conversation: any pay scheme or award that must be explained to someone in order for that person to grasp its 'specialness' is probably ineffective. For me, it's nice for my employer to tell me they like me, but I'd rather they leave it to me to determine whether the money I'm paid makes me feel like a valued employee. At this job and others, I've been told "you are the only person at your level in the company who has been granted membership in the manager incentive program" and "you received the highest raise that we can give you". Maybe I'm being stupid, but I think bosses say things like this because they believe it prods listeners to a desirable conclusion: "I'm fortunate to make as much as I do". For me, it has the opposite effect. It makes me think they are trying to distract me from objectively evaluating whether I'm paid a market rate. I do think I'm fortunate to make a good salary, I just don't like corporate compensation mind games.
That's it for this week.
