My 2 Cents on Other People's 2 Cents

For anyone that knows me it takes a while for me to warm up to anyone. I guess you could say I have that I dont trust you till you prove yourself attitude.

Thats just me. I have been that way for as long as I can remember. I like being by myself at times. Even my Mom mentioned that when I was little I would play calmly by myself. If friends came over that was great but if no one was around I was cool with that too.

Well everyone has their 2 cents to put in about the way I live my life. One says I need friends another will say that I will end up all alone, another will say that it isnt good to be by yourself all the time and the best one is that it isnt healthy to be by yourself.

Look I am an only child. I had a mother that worked full time and a father that was hardly there. I had to learn to entertain myself. I did just that and it carried over into my adult life.

I am content with things. I can take people or leave them. I know that sounds harsh and I dont mean it to be but if I dont talk to you for a few weeks that doesnt mean Im mad or your not my friend. It simply means I am in my own world doing my own thing.

I only let people that I want get close to me. It works out.

Here is the flip side of all that. Never fails. When I am on a plane or at a restaurant or at an event I always and I mean always find the guy who wants to talk my leg off. Its like I have "Talk to ME" written on my forehead.

I dont care how many times you have rode on a plane. I dont want to talk about the weather and I could really care less about your wife leaving you for your brother and taking your dog since you had since you were 4. Yes people have said that to me. Freaking complete strangers and by the time they are done I know everything about them.

Being the way I am keeps me out of the drama in other peoples lives. If you dont tell me then I dont know about it and no one can ever say he said this or she said that.

Now if that makes me a jerk or non-sociable then I guess that is a label that I will accept. I am not the person to come to if you need a shoulder to cry on.

I am happy being me. I often refer to myself as the Black Sheep of my family. One day I made this comment at a family gathering and my mom wanted to know why. I told her the reason. It is because I dont do things the old Tried and True way of doing things. I didnt follow in the footsteps of anyone in the fam and I chose to do things my way. I am the one who really stands out from the crowd in my family.

So call me a jerk call me non-sociable its fine with me. I like the way I am and I def like being by myself. I have a Cliq and you guys and gals no who you are that I have let into my own personal life.

I like it when people dont know much about me. It keeps me sane and I dont have to worry about what the next person thinks of me.

I will keep being me and you keep being you. I wont pry into your life as long as you dont pry into mine. Its called a personal life for a reason.

Follow Up to Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Recently I had an opportunity arise where I could have moved from WV. Still with the same company, still in IT but just a little different role in a bigger state.

I mulled it over thought about it, ran it by a few people but ultimatley this past weekend came to the conclusion that for right now it is best for me to stay where I am.

Its not that I dont want to try it because believe me I was ready to pack up and head down south.

Ultimately the reason I decided to stay was that I am needed where I am. I have a new employee who is still really green to our business and I am trying my best to bring him up to speed and teach him the skills needed to take over the reigns if something was ever to happen to me. He's not there yet and I would feel really uncomfortable leaving it all in his hands. To be honest at this stage if I left I am pretty sure he would leave as well.

It took me 3 working on 4 long hard years to learn to do what I do. He will probably never be put through some of the things that I was but the company was just growing when I started. He will never get to experience the total rebuild of the Chilhowie server room at 3 in the morning or doing a migration at greensboro eating McDonalds at Midnight then putting in another 2 hours just to get the job done. He wont build 8 servers in 8 weeks and then migrate 300 users to our network. He wont travel with his boss and learn his eating habits and that Elvis died in 1977 and that Chinese food really isnt that bad.

Give him a little time a it will sink in. The things that are second nature to me take time to learn and I am realizing this.

Another reason is my current Boss. Dont get me wrong she is great and supported me if I wanted to move. I just didnt think it was fair to leave her being in a new posistion and for the only person that knows the network inside and out to take flight. She is adapting to the new changes and to be honest the persons job that changed least was mine. I am still doing my thing taking care of issues and trying to share my knowledge with everyone in the process.

Now dont get me wrong. Those are not the only things that played a factor into my staying. I think it would be hard on Mel to move another 3 hours away from her Family. She would follow me to the end of the earth and if it was something I really wanted she would be right there.

All in all when it came down to it the timing just isnt there. I have unfinished business here. Not to say I will never move. As I have said before I am a different person these days. The past eight months have been the happiest of my life and I would love to try something new and exciting. One day it may happen and the pieces will fall together just right. Until then I will keep teaching and more importantly learning.

Until then I will hold in down in WV and keep in touch with my friends down south.