In sickness and in health

We're both awake vomiting. She first and then I followed at the sight, sound and smell of it. Good thing we have Dr appointment for Amanda tomorrow so the doc can check her out, too. She has not shown any signs. I think we had some bad chicken (that I cooked on the grill [for the its first use this season]). Not sure.

It actually looks more like this

I have added a few things to the stock photo shown in my previous post:
-Cobra slash-cut deluxe exhaust and jetted carb
-Windshield with integrated passing lamps
-Mustang saddle with driver backrest
-Luggage rack
-Cobra engine guard & Kuryakyn foot pegs
-Cheap saddle bags
-K&N air filter
-Garmin Zumo 550 GPS
-Video camera handlbar mount

Tis the season

I just dropped my bike off at the dealer for a season-beginning oil change. I have a 2004 Honda VTX1300. I just rolled 12,000 miles and it's time for new fluids and a slew of inspections. Summer is just around the corner; I can feel it!

Policy schmolicy

Daycare called yesterday and stated that our little angel had a temperature and we must pick her up ASAP. Oh, on top of that, she cannot return the next day. So, I am at home trying to juggle work, a crying child, laundry... Oh how my perspective has changed.

My night so far

Another sleepless night... If Blogger were cooler, you could have heard the audio clip I just uploaded of my daughter crying ALL.NIGHT.LONG like Lionel Richie.

Baby + Teeth = Misery

Amanda's been a wreck for the past four days preventing Katie from getting any sort of real rest. I hope the end is in sight. My patience and sleep are wearing thin as well. This, added to my previous post, makes for a strained lifestyle.

Ownership

It was a long work week for me. As I went through the grind, I realized that some of my coworkers lack a sense of ownership. I work in the IT industry where we are on call almost all the time (so it seems). My team, in particular, is responsible for a platform 24x7. We rotate that responsibility between the five of us. Three of us work day and evening shifts and then there are two dedicated guys - one handles over night and the other handles the weekend coverage - that never comes into the office. This disconnect could be key.

It's starting to come to light that there is a lack of ownership in our support mentality. "Oh, someone else will see that alert or page that has come in and will take care of it. It certainly isn't MY responsibility. Heck, I have other things to do." It seems individuals are content collecting a paycheck and will do the least amount of work possible to maintain employment. Maybe this is commonplace in the American workplace? As their manager, I feel that I must keep an eye on things even though they are paid a healthy salary to sit on a pager and simply respond should it go off. Fact - that comes with the territory.

SLA. We have an expectation on our team that we will respond to an alert or page within 15 minutes of receiving it. It does not mean the issue will be resolved in 15 minutes, but rather that we will acknowledge it and start on the path to resolution. We will work the issue in real time and provide status. Recently, there has been a rash of missed opportunities to show ownership. Missed pages, poorly executed deliverables, foul language, smoking grass - poor caddying. Do you want to be replaced by the NOC? Just keep it up.

How do I instill ownership? It's got to be the toughest task I've ever had. I must be particularly bad at it. If I were responsible for something and my superior asked me about something I missed, I'd damn well make sure I don't miss it the next time. That's just me. I'm not like others. Others didn't have a father that would follow up on topics to make sure you had your act together. I consider myself blessed to have that instilled in me. Why do I get myself all worked up? It's only a job...