Two Steps Forward One Step Back
Made it thru another day at work – and now, it is July 1 here in Indonesia. That means this year is half over. I have known for a long time that 2008 was going to be a very very tough year. So far, it hasn’t disappointed me. Sadly, the second half is likely to be more difficult in almost every way than the first half.
Work is by far the the biggest component. The 1st six months was focussed on surviving the Production audit and completing a Controller’s UIA (controls assessment). The 2nd six months will be focussed on closing gaps identified from the UIA, upgrading our processes to reflect our growing business, and installing SAP. All without Rhonda.
Then there are “the kids”. It is a challenge just keeping everything moving forward on the 5. Although the boys are generally independent, Chris and Paul are not self-sufficient. Thus, we find our lives weaving in/out throughout the days, weeks, months. Sometimes they need quite a bit of assistance – sometimes I don’t hear from them for weeks. On the “girl side”, getting Chely to and thru high school graduation was no cake walk. Now, we have the transition to college life and all the hazards that come with it – Chely does not yet understand the difficulty she faces. I surmise she is still in a bit of a dream world as there are no grades per se at UConn. And, finally, Thasya, who is growing and changing so fast (complete with girl horomones) neither Decy nor I can keep up with her.
Layer on the fact that the various travel plans have Decy and I split up on just about every trip / vacation this year – we have essentially no time together. No time for us.
Then there are the finances, with all the changes, 3 in college in 2007 / 4 in college in 2008, transitioning Chely, etc – there is an unbearable strain on the pocket book. It wouldn’t be so bad if the stock market were going up and I could sell some stock or mutual funds – but its not … and nobody knows when the market will turn around. That leaves me in a situation where I see the “clock ticking” on needing to make some adjustments – but reluctant to make the adjustments is such a sucky market.
And on that note, I think I will close. I need to take care of some things – besides it is ALREADY 428am.
Ciao ciao
