Monthly Archives: December 2009

Had an interesting email in my inbox this morning. One of those internal office sorts of emails wanting to offer me a different position in the company, with the added bonus of getting a rather high level of clearance. In the government world, this is a very Big Thing. It almost certainly means more money. That level of clearance is practically a golden ticket to getting employment pretty much anywhere you want, at least in the world of government contracting. But. (There’s always a but, isn’t there?) A few years ago, I would have jumped at the chance. In fact, when I got hired on at the company I’m at right now, I was actually up for two positions – the one I have, and another that would have gotten me the clearance. In the end, I turned down the clearance position. There were several reasons for this, a major… Read more

I’ve never been overly fond of the beast known as the office Christmas party. (Or Holiday party, if you prefer). Most of the time it seems to be nothing more than an excuse to force employees to rub shoulders yet again, pretending they actually like each other over a cup of eggnog pretentiousness. At least, that’s always been my experience with them. In past years, I’ve been to parties at the CEO’s house (previous employers), where it seemed like nothing more than a way for the bigwigs to show off just how much more they had – bigger houses, pools, servants, a chance to lambada with the newest blond trophy girlfriend – then the rest of us peons. Do I sound bitter? Maybe. I have to admit that in my younger, leaner years, being told that instead of paying out holiday bonuses, the amount was going to go towards the… Read more