Project management

This stuff is hard.

I have a project at work right now, with a hard deadline, and I am the manager. I had no idea how I would like it, or if I'd be any good at it, since I've never done this before. I'm usually pretty happy in the creative underclass of a project, getting to think up ideas.

It is a lot of checking in with people, and although that can be tiring, in the sense that I am checking e-mail for work reasons from the time I wake up to when I go to sleep, it also means I am interacting with a lot of people again. That latter part has been really nice. I'd forgotten how much easier it is to be creative and productive, when you can bounce ideas off of others and are not the only one responsible for coming up with things. I've had some great 3 and 4 hours sessions of brainstorming, some really productive shorter meetings, and keeping motivated has been much easier.

But the looking up details, checking with people on small questions, keeping all the info together, that I'm not so sure about. Since this is a small project I think I can keep it all together pretty much as I did before - mostly in my head with a few things written down on paper and on my computer. Deadlines and such. This is because there aren't too many overlapping deadlines, and there are not so many different companies and entities that need to be coordinated, so an illness or a travel restriction is more easily negotiated.

I don't think I'm cut out for really large scale project management, though. I just don't know how much more rewarding it would be than draining. And I've only had a glimpse of having to depend on difficult personalities to get something done, and I defaulted to being very gracious when I probably should have stopped earlier and said "no, we have a tough deadline, and I really need you to do this as quickly as possible." I can tell I have very little idea about what constitutes a "right now!" need, and what can wait. And I tend to assume people will do things in the next hour when they say "right away" and that isn't necessarily the case. I'm not great at pressing people to clarify what they mean in these cases. Makes me really nervous. Not a great place to start for management.

What I do think I can do fairly well is be okay with "good enough." Don't get me wrong, I am infinitely able to be idealistic about things, about what could be if we just had enough time, good will, money. How people should behave. What the "right" way to do something is. But, when surounded by a few other pragmatic individuals, I can totally do the realist thing, too. And that surprised me. 

Anyway, it has been interesting. I will be happy when it is over. It will go on my resume.

And if this post has already put you to sleep, check out the Star Wars fan version online. The whole of Star Wars, made out of 15 second clips submitted to the project by everyday people. I watched only 6 minutes of it, but what great submissions, from a family of kids in paper towel Storm Trooper outfits, to an office of coworkers in white plastic salad bowl helmets, to animated sequences. 

A new year

Im not sure what to write about today. I just wanted to write, so that this blog doesn't lapse. The flight to Canada, with A, went fine. I had more than enough toys and distractions and low expectations that things were actually smooth. Except for that Cares Flight Harness, that we wound up investing some $200 in with express shipping,that the Air Canada attendant basically looked at and said she didn't have time to help me figure it out and had no idea why someone told me I had to buy it. In the end, A slept in her stroller sleeping bag, threaded through with the seat belt. And it took only 30 seconds for me to get thoroughly creeped out by The Wiggles on the kids videos selection on the flight. Christmas was lovely, and A has now fuly understood the concept of a present and opening one.mShe knows what a reindeer is and that a snowman is made of snow. Granted, she may have scale issues with the snowman concept, because we could only build a 1 1/2 foot tall one in the melting Missouri snow. She likes the song Jingle Bells, and I find myself disturbed by all manner of other Christmas song lyrics. Baby It's Cold Outisde basically sounds like a date rape ballad. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is all about making fun of someone until he turns out to have a skill useful to others, and those let's seem to be pretty fickle giving their love away to the new team captain. I am, however, suffering food culture shock in America. There is so much more salt and sugar than I've become used to, in everything from meatballs and wings, to casual restaurants, to even Trader Joes foods. I've cooked so much more this year, and. Mostly from scratch, that my palate is overwhelmed with processed foods. Now, this state I find myself in is a luxury, I know. Because I a not working full time, can get the bulk kf my groceries delivered and have time to then shop at the farmers market. Heck, because we have daily farmers markets and so many bakeries in Zurich. And, true to the cliche, I am now completely unused to ice in my water at restaurants. But seeing A surrounded by family, having such a great time meeting them all again, playing, being fawned over, and even having to negotiate their personalities, has been good. She will have relationships with these people that are different than my relationships with them, and that ranges from a learning experience for all of us, to ok, to a good thing. And after this stop in Cicago, I will go home to Zurich with another great AirBNB experience (renovated loft with wood floors, antique metal cage elevator, right in the middle of town), and after I hit that DSW store, I hope a few new pair of shoes to get me through the size 11 desert that is Switzerland.