Mistrust: The Business Analyst's Original Sin

Trust is something that builds slowly at the beginning of any relationship.
When I start a new project, I often meet new people on the project team. As I get acquainted with these "newcomers," I have to build their trust in me from scratch. Thing is, if they're non-technical colleagues, trust levels typically start from below zero, because of their unfamiliarity or previous negative experience with technical people.
I've been assessing the time-, work-, and emotional-investments made in developing good relationships with the people I worked with -- doing favors, sharing perks, exchanging stories and jokes, socializing at Happy Hour, basically becoming friends. It's taken a lot to get where I am, leveraging collaborative relationships for project successes.
The typical mistrust from non-technical colleagues is an unavoidable obstacle to project success, and takes time and effort to overcome. It may take more than a project or two to build enough trust for a relationship to become fully collaborative.
The more I think about this, the more it reminds me of the Catholic religious concept of Original Sin...
MISTRUST is the Business Anlayst's ORIGINAL SIN, passed down from previous generations of failed technical projects. And a BA must be baptized with a successful project before this Sin is forgiven!

Unemployed

On July 1, I joined the 14.7 million unemployed in the United States. I was laid-off as my employer decided to down-size and move headquarters from Oakland, CA to Scottsdale, AZ.
I just turned 47 last month, with a wife to support and an upside-down mortgage to pay off. With what, I don't know. I'd try my luck switching career to music, but that'd be fool-hearty of me, what with a dependent and a long-term debt.
I'll probably lose my house now, but that might be a blessing in disguise. I bought it at $240k 2 years ago, and the county just re-assessed the value at $43k.
I just submitted my unemployment insurance claim yesterday. I've been paying in for so long, it's about time I got something back!
Who knows when I'll find my next full-time job! The way things look, it just might take a year or more.
What to do in the meantime? Network, job-hunt, network, write music, network...
Life can be real simple sometimes! :D

Lay-off Looming Ahead...

Aaaah, yes! It's that time again, another workforce reduction. I've lost count since 1989 when I started working at my current employer's. I'm about to be laid-off. Ya know, I've heard recently I'm not the only one going through this... :D
Well, I've survived all the past layoffs, and I'll survive this one too -- maybe not with the same organization, but I'll survive somewhere, somehow. I don't let challenges like this become an identity crisis; I think of it as an opportunity to venture into undiscovered country. Got many eggs in my basket and I only need one to hatch.
I'm NOT looking back... NEW HORIZONS, HERE I COME! :D

RIP, Gigi!

I've been rolling with the punches life has been throwing, but this one last week just knocked the wind out of me...

I just had to put down one of my cats Gigi. My wife and I missed our time to have children, so these cats are really family for us.

Gigi always jumped on my lap the instant I sat up in bed in the morning, and she did the same when I came home from work and sat down to relax--every day, without fail. She had the loudest purr I've ever heard, and I've known quite a few by now. I felt a big heart-ache getting up the last few mornings, knowing there'd be no more Gigi to come cheer me up. :(

I usually pride myself in being happy without being rich, but I wish I could've afforded to give Gigi regular checkups so her condition was caught earlier. I HATE being cash-poor right now!!!

Rest In Peace, my beloved Gigi!!!!! :.(