It's February...

...and in the 70's. I know many people are enjoying this record-breaking weather, and I admit I do appreciate the sunshine, but come on! This is winter! It's just not supposed to be like this, even in the mild-temp bay area. This is just too mild.

When I go to New York near the end of this month (sadly not coinciding with Fashion Week), there better be some chilly temps because when else will I get the chance to bust out my heavyweight wool coat that otherwise sadly hangs in the shadows of my closet for 99% of the year, yearning to be worn? Though maybe I'll ditch that in favor of my very-warm-but-not-very-chic down puffer. I suppose it depends if there is expected rain vs. possible snow. Puffer = terrible for rain.

I'm trying to make my work-life better. Yesterday two of my team members had their work-anniversaries, so I decided to have a waffle-making breakfast party in the studio, complete with blueberries, whipped cream, and OJ (super tempted to offer mimosas, but Fridays demand a lot of work, and I need everyone on point). People got extra creative and raided the office candies, adding kit kats, Hello Pandas, and other goodies to their batter. I'm trying to find little ways to boost morale when I can.

My boss (the president) came in to my office this week to deliver good news: a promotion! and a raise!

The raise was more generous than I was expecting (not that I was really expecting either) and the promotion was less than I was expecting (still itching for that director title) – I suspect it was a retention strategy. And it worked. I'll stick around for another 6 months at least. Honestly, I would have offered to take less money if it meant it could be given to someone else in my department, but I know it would just be redistributed among the more pressing needs of the company and no one in my department would see an extra dime. Uh, so I selfishly accepted it. 😁

But with the raise comes more expectations and stress, and I'm trying to find ways to cope and prosper with that. I know I need to become an even better manager for this department. I have books on managing to read. I have a mentor lined up. I gotta step up my game, folks.

Oh, and the SF office will be moving once again come late spring. I've been touring around potential office spaces to scope out whether they can accommodate the photo studio. It's been fun looking around. We could end up in SoMa again or maybe somewhere swankier in FiDi (with much better food and drink options). We've got a few months before our current lease is up so anything can happen.

All right, all right, I better take advantage of this so-called gorgeous weather and get outside. But first, I need to get out of bed. Yoshi is in dire need of new shoes. She tends to wait until her current pair is in utter disrepair with multiple holes and ultra worn soles, so today is shoe-shopping day She wants Vans. I told her they will not be as comfy as her Nikes, but we'll see what we come home with.

This is an ideal day to also get some Bi-Rite ice cream and chill at Dolores Park. Prime people-watching to be sure.