Caffe Latte Ritz bits

I recently gave up coffee for Lent...I've been without my daily java for 14 days and 12 hours. It's been difficult but I only have, oh, 31 days left... but, when I walked into the Kamakura JR station "conbini" (convenience store) tonight, I found this ... Heaven in a bag... mmmmmmmm

SNOW HELLO KITTY

It snowed last Sunday... a lot. I managed to carefully tread my way down to the beach. What would normally be an 8 minute walk ended up taking 20 minutes! But once I got there, here's what I found...

PS: it 's supposed to snow again today, but not as much.

12 things you probably don't know about me...

12. I have a comic book collection that includes: issues 1-34 of Spawn, issues 1-3 of Beavis and Butthead. No kidding!
11. I have a Disney watch collection that I started about 15 years ago.
10. I really like musicals. I even saw Carol Channing in San Diego during her final performances in "Hello Dolly!". I've also seen Phantom of the Opera (San Diego), Mamma Mia (London), and Beauty and the Beast (LA).
9. I don't laugh often and have been accused by my own mother of not having a sense of humor. So there!
8. I have never seen any of the Rocky movies. But I saw "The Deerhunter" and "Apocalypse Now" in the movie theater on Guam when I was about 9 or 10.
7. I have seen all of the Harry Potter movies and read all the books at least twice.
6. I learned how to shoot when I was 12. I was also the only kid I knew in high school who read "Guns and Ammo".
5. I don't like shopping malls, especially during the holidays. I would pick a boutique over a department store.
4. I once watched Pride and Prejudice, the miniseries, in one day.
3. I am a huge Harry Connick Jr. fan.
2. I took stats for my high school basketball team. Also, thanks to my buddy, Ed (Ed South), the only way I can sit through an entire baseball game is to take the stats.
1. I have probably loved my husband almost since the day I met him.

Leadership Letdown...

I belong to a couple of professional organizations related to my field of choice, healthcare administration. Unfortunately, due to "the mission", I haven't been to a conference since January 2006, when I was on the Kitty Hawk and another command funded the trip because I was on an operational "platform" (Navy speak for being stationed on a ship). My current command, which shall remain nameless, has funds set aside for professional training but it's doled out at the discretion of each individual's director. This year, my director said "I'm going because I have to go to maintain my Fellow status." Last year, the boss didn't let anyone go because funding was tight throughout the command. This year, one of my coworkers was able to get the tuition waived through the organization BUT the boss seems hesitant to let her go, even though the only cost to the command would be for travel. The request was submitted 2 weeks ago and returned without a definite course of action. Of course, the boss won't even be back for another week, which is a scant month before my coworker would have to travel to Congress in Chicago. (Yes, this Boss could be described as a TIU...see previous entry)

We all know the boss is going to network, although if cost was truly an issue, the boss could save the command funding by choosing to get the needed CEUs to recertify via online courses. My guess: poor planning or lack of opportunity over the last 3 years (the time between recertification) results in the use of government funding (at least $2000) to attend a 4 day party and get 12 credits. We know the boss isn't lying; it just seems that the boss could be a true leader and say something to our coworker like "I need to attend to recertify but I'll find the funding so you can too." What a letdown. (At the time of this writing, the boss is away for 2 weeks during the midst of the annual "business planning" time...1 week for another networking event that is masked as a conference in Washington DC and 1 week on leave. We're just tired of the excuses. Tell it like it is, Boss. If you're going to network, tell us. We've all been to the same conference in the past and heck, half the senior leaders aren't even in the conference sessions. They're mingling and having other meetings elsewhere. Why should you be any different?)

Personally, the last time I attended a ACHE event, I chose a 3 day focused "cluster" so that I could get the 12 credits in an efficient manner. It's not that I don't like going to a party paid for by someone else. It's just that I don't like wasting my time in courses that I may or may not like. The last couple of Congress seminars I attended was a good overall experience but I really only felt I benefitted from about 80% of the courses attended. I actually left one early because the speaker was so ineffective. (I went shopping at Nordstrom's for some running pants because I'd forgotten to pack a pair for the wintry 5K the next morning...) I haven't attended Congress since then and much prefer "more bang for the buck" type training. This year, I asked and received a waiver for an online course so that I could nibble away at my requirements for Fellow status...just in case I decide to remain a member of ACHE in 3 years. It's easier than trying to do it all at once!