Summer fun

Well, the thing at work that I wondered would happen finally happened and it's been a roller coaster of a week.  Basically, all parties involved were not happy, a resolution was met, and people are still not happy.  I have been told I am being blamed for everything and honestly, I knew it was coming. I take accountability for any and all of my actions at all times, but this time, I had zero reasons to feel anything bad about the situation in terms of my involvement.  I have always worked my butt off, given the best data possible to my boss, been accountable for any and all mistakes I have made in any experiment I have done, and I rest easy at night knowing those things are true.  Is it hard telling your boss you've screwed up?  Heck yeah.  Is it hard to admit your faults or shortcomings?  Heck yeah.  But that is part of growth.  Being honest and accountable is hard, sometimes it hurts.  Yes, sometimes I cry.  Yes, sometimes I am harder on myself than anyone else in the room, but that is how it should be.  Science is a cruel mistress, and it can reveal you and your weaknesses even if you think you are perfect.  I will NEVER blame others for my short comings.  I work on myself daily both professionally and personally.  I go to therapy, I self-reflect (and overthink), I listen to podcasts and read books to learn about others and how to deal with all kinds of people and I am still a work in progress.  I am far from perfect and I never will be, but I put in the effort to be the best that I can and admit blame when I am at fault.  Do I always handle situations the best, no.  Can I learn from several things at work that have happened lately and try and get better, yes.  Will I move forward and try to be more direct and less a turtle in conflict, yes.  I wish my coworker the best of luck.  He has a big heart and can be very kind.  I will never forget when he door dashed me some Advil when we were on a working road trip at like 4 am because I had a puking headache and then when the door dasher canceled, he went and picked it up himself in a snowstorm.  I will always remember him singing that tune and me finally after a year of him singing it, figuring out what riff he was singing.  I hope he finds his dream job and gets to use his very creative mind to its fullest.  I truly wish him all the best.

On to other happier notes.  We had our annual work party.  It was so good to just sit, eat good food, talk, and laugh.  We may be a small group right now, but we are mighty and we will get shit done.  Proud to work with these ladies and gentlemen and to plow through a lot of really cool projects.  I truly am so blessed to be able to love what I do and enjoy coming to work every day.  I really hope this lasts a long time and that we can continue to do really awesome work and provide livestock with healthy alternatives to antibiotics.

I did get a somewhat glowing review on my thyroid.  If you've been following along, a few months ago I noticed an enlargement in my thyroid and while I feared the worst, it has been so far benign, just a pain in the rear.  I just had my follow up ultrasound and everything oddly enough had shrunk, although she (yes, my thyroid is a she don't ask) is still swollen and changes sizes daily.  Until she becomes a big enough problem to keep me from swallowing or breathing or my labs change, she gets to stay.

Oh yes, three work outs at the shop with my weights.  Two upper body and one lower body.  Someone asked if I am still using my Peloton Strength Plus app and yes, I am.  Right now, I have it set on an hour, only dumbbells, warm up and cool down, build muscle, and advanced.  I do sub in sometimes my barbell, like today I put in some deadlifts with my barbell in lieu of what they wanted me to do with the dumbbells.  

We had two fun events this week on top of our lab party.  We went to drinks and thinks at what use to be Harry's which is now Arrow Cocktail Lounge and also to see a band at Aggieville brewing that played Irish rock.  Both were very entertaining, one for the brain and one for the ears.  Andrew got some merch and got to go talk to the band during their break.  We also got to learn a ton at Drinks and Thinks about the Wareham family and their legacy in Manhattan KS.  

It's been a great week overall.  I am ready to move on and move forward and love being at work and doing my job again with a great team.  Y'all have a great week too!