Follows are some emails between me and this lady who works in my department. She obviously doesn't care much for me or my attempts to track down some supply orders. Some of these orders are as old as January, so excuse me for giving a shit. When those old orders weren't received, and the department this lady works for informed us that we were out of money (in March... three months later), they told us we would have to wait until July to start ordering again, and that all the old orders had been canceled and would have to be re-ordered. So. We did that, and it was tedious and time consuming (there are a lot of folks in my unit, and they need a lot of stuff), but we did it. On July 14, my orders were delivered, and when I followed up on July 28, I was informed that they hadn't been received by the person responsible for placing the orders. Her latest message implies that I'm a fool if I think that moving some papers from one desk to another should take anything less than two weeks.
I appreciate her spelling out what their "process" is - overly complicated and slow is all I needed to know, really. Would I be the "end user"? What is it with this language? I didn't "insist" on it because I'm a jerk, I did it because I thought my orders had been lost, which has happened in the past. They're not exactly known for being swift, efficient, or - dare I say it? - friendly. Maybe that reputation is starting to wear thin for her? If so, she's sure doing a great job of proving otherwise. Listen, lady: I just want my supplies within a reasonable amount of time, I didn't think I was starting WW III. That's OK, though. I can take it. And, I can blog about it, because exposing stupid people, even when I protect them by obscuring their real names, is lots and lots of fun. You should try it. Oh, and if I had a "I" after my job title, personally, I would omit it. Just a thought.
Please note: that signature is all hers. I suspect that the "power" behind her might be that of a 1984 Subaru GL.
Most recent message is first. Scroll down and read up for the full effect, as I've experienced it myself. After reading this message I packed up and went to lunch. I suggest you do, too.
...
From: Someone
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 12:22 PM
To: Irene
Cc: Someone's Boss; Irene's Boss's Subordinate Managers
Subject: RE: Supply orders
Irene, I never stated that I didn't get your 1st set of request. I said that I had not received them YET. As I explained in the email below, we have a receiving process where as each requests gets a tracking number. This is all done to protect the end user. I didn't ask for the 2nd copy; you insisted. We're doing the best we can in Procurement to get you the items you need in reasonable timeframes and keep you updated. I will email you the vendor's confirmation as soon as the order is placed.
- Some Who Clearly Cares Not For Irene
Procurement Assistant I
"The task ahead of you, is never as great as the power behind you."
...
From: Irene
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 11:46 AM
To: Someone Who Clearly Cares Not For Me
Cc: Someone's Boss; Irene's Boss's Subordinate Managers [All of whom have been waiting since January for their supplies]
Subject: FW: Supply orders
Someone, can you give me any idea when our other orders are going to be processed? I understand that you didn't receive them the first time, but if there is any way to expedite them now that they've been provided to you a second time, we would appreciate it. It does seem to me that this delay could have been avoided. I really need to give my people at status.
Thanks.
...
From: Someone Who Clearly Cares Not For Irene
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 12:12 PM
To: Irene
Subject: RE: Supply orders
Irene, I was just given a sizable pile of your requests. I'm sure that it's the items you were inquiring about. If there are any specific items that are considered urgent, let me know what they are and I'll pull them to be processes first. Someone has already marked your request for toners as "Urgent". I'll send you email confirmations as each order is placed so you'll know what's going on. For your future requests, I'd submit them as you did the last time. It's not a matter of them being lost in Procurement [obviously they were lost in Procurement] but a matter of them working their way to the procurement staff member. You should view this last submission as an indication of the delivery timeframes- with the exception of true urgencies.
- Someone Who Clearly Cares Not For Irene
Procurement Assistant I
"The task ahead of you, is never as great as the power behind you."
...
From: Irene
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 9:59 AM
To: Someone Who Clearly Cares Not For Me
Subject: RE: Supply orders
Someone, what do you advise that I do in the future? Should I get a receipt? Once I get these to you again, how long is it going to take? There were quite a few.
...
From: Someone Who Clearly Cares Not For Irene
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 9:32 AM
To: Irene
Subject: RE: Supply orders
When I receive orders directly via email, fax or in person, they are time-stamped and handed over to my supervisor, to assign a tracking number. I do not have the authority to place orders given directly to me nor do I recall all items given to me [OK, let's get this straight. She's my point of contact. I give her my orders. She timestamps them, gives them to her supervisor, who... does what, exactly? And then gives them back to her? This is a lame process. They have already been approved by a higher entity than her supervisor. How long do you think it took them to come up with this? Two weeks? Clearly I am working much, much too hard]. Please note some of the items on your request so I can help you.
- Someone Who Clearly Cares Not For Irene
Procurement Assistant I
"The task ahead of you, is never as great as the power behind you."
...
From: Irene
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 9:20 AM
To: Someone Who Clearly Cares Not For Me
Subject: RE: Supply orders
Someone, these were hand-delivered to you around July 14, and you called me to confirm that you had received them. My co-worker from another unit submitted orders the same day (she is the one who delivered my orders for me) and she has received confirmation that her items were ordered.
...
From: Someone Who Clearly Cares Not for Irene
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 9:18 AM
To: Irene
Subject: RE: Supply orders
Good morning, Irene, I don't have any outstanding orders for you. That could mean that (1) it hasn't reached my desk yet or (2) someone else has placed this order when I wasn't here. Please let me know a few of the items on the request so I can query the staff.
- Someone Who Clearly Cares Not For Irene
Procurement Assistant I
"The task ahead of you, is never as great as the power behind you." .
...
From: Irene
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 8:09 AM
To: Someone Who Clearly Cares Not For Me
Subject: Supply orders
Someone, can you give me an ETA on my supply orders? We sent them to you two weeks ago.
Thanks,
Irene
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A dress rehearsal, a trip to the emergency room, a concert, and a lack of sleep
Friday was the dress rehearsal for the benefit concert at Our Mother of Good Counsel. Joe and I met up with Patty at her house, and together with his mother, Helen, who has been visiting from New Jersey for about a month, we carpooled over to the church in Hollywood. Katrina, our fourth player, had to work that day, so she met us there.
The rehearsal went pretty well, and once we got used to the acoustics (flutes 1 and 4 were only a few feet away from each other, but somehow couldn't hear each other very well), it was just a matter of running our pieces and working out the details.
Afterwards, Patty, Joe, his mom and I went to dinner at Palermo's on Vermont (Katrina had to go home). I've been there before and was really excited to go again. Joe's mom has accompanied him to all our rehearsals, and I've enjoyed getting to know her. She's a very nice lady; the two of them together are very sweet, and he kept us laughing. We all had the lentil soup, and it was very good - even Helen said it was almost as good as her own. And I became a huge fan of lentil soup. Patty and I had ravioli, Joe and his mother had spaghetti, and we all shared some pizza rosa, which was amazing.
On Sunday, Patrick had to head out to Santa Monica early to spend the day with his mom and his brother and his family, and after he left, I got a call from my dad, who had taken my mom to the emergency room. My mom was having a lot of back pain, they'd been there for awhile, didn't really know what the story was, but the nurse suspected it was a kidney stone. I had to get going, and wouldn't have a lot of phone access, so I was a bit thrown off. It wasn't what I wanted to be thinking about on the ride up to Culver City.
The other thing that was really unfortunate about this weekend was, we had found out on Friday that a young man who had been a student of both Joe and Patty at Culver City Middle School about ten years ago had died. It was a shock to them both, and was really very sad. Patty and I carpooled to the church, and I didn't know if I should mention to her about my mom. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but at the same time, I was worried. Then again, she was upset about her former student, and I wanted us to be able to concentrate on the concert. I was nervous, and worried, and it wasn't a good combination. I did tell her, and made sure to call my dad before the concert and to let him know that I wouldn't be able to call until we were finished. Once we got to the church, though, things got better. Joe did his super job, as usual, of getting us all to relax, and it turned out that quite a few tickets had been sold. I sort of had to put my head down and just play, and it worked.
We sounded really good - I was proud of our performance. Everyone said we sounded good, and enjoyed the selections. Patty, as always, did a good job of choosing music that flowed well. So, after all the rehearsing, it worked out well. Afterwards, I stopped at my mom and dad's on the way home. I guess it was a kidney stone, but my mom was still uncomfortable. I ate dinner with my brother and hung out with them for awhile.
On Monday, I started tech rehearsals with City Garage for BAD PENNY, which opens this
Friday. The cast has been rehearsing for several weeks, and I was a little surprised to walk in and find out that we would be using slides during this show. I've done about 6 shows in a row in the booth, and none of them used slides - and you know me with new things: I kind of panic. But that first night, Charles let me get used to the audio and light cues and he ran the slides for me. It was a good idea, because it allowed me to feel comfortable with the show and the cues without having to freak out about the machine, especially because, due to my concert, I missed the cue-to-cue, where they set the cues for the audio and sound cues. It's always a nice chance for me to get re-accustomed to the machinery. The slide machine is a bit scary, though. It's kind of old, I guess, and temperamental - there is a specific order to everything you do and every click of every switch has to come at the right time. But as we run things, I get more comfortable, and as always, I'm even more excited about the show than I was before I saw it. They've done a good job.
The rehearsal went pretty well, and once we got used to the acoustics (flutes 1 and 4 were only a few feet away from each other, but somehow couldn't hear each other very well), it was just a matter of running our pieces and working out the details.
Afterwards, Patty, Joe, his mom and I went to dinner at Palermo's on Vermont (Katrina had to go home). I've been there before and was really excited to go again. Joe's mom has accompanied him to all our rehearsals, and I've enjoyed getting to know her. She's a very nice lady; the two of them together are very sweet, and he kept us laughing. We all had the lentil soup, and it was very good - even Helen said it was almost as good as her own. And I became a huge fan of lentil soup. Patty and I had ravioli, Joe and his mother had spaghetti, and we all shared some pizza rosa, which was amazing.
On Sunday, Patrick had to head out to Santa Monica early to spend the day with his mom and his brother and his family, and after he left, I got a call from my dad, who had taken my mom to the emergency room. My mom was having a lot of back pain, they'd been there for awhile, didn't really know what the story was, but the nurse suspected it was a kidney stone. I had to get going, and wouldn't have a lot of phone access, so I was a bit thrown off. It wasn't what I wanted to be thinking about on the ride up to Culver City.
The other thing that was really unfortunate about this weekend was, we had found out on Friday that a young man who had been a student of both Joe and Patty at Culver City Middle School about ten years ago had died. It was a shock to them both, and was really very sad. Patty and I carpooled to the church, and I didn't know if I should mention to her about my mom. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but at the same time, I was worried. Then again, she was upset about her former student, and I wanted us to be able to concentrate on the concert. I was nervous, and worried, and it wasn't a good combination. I did tell her, and made sure to call my dad before the concert and to let him know that I wouldn't be able to call until we were finished. Once we got to the church, though, things got better. Joe did his super job, as usual, of getting us all to relax, and it turned out that quite a few tickets had been sold. I sort of had to put my head down and just play, and it worked.
We sounded really good - I was proud of our performance. Everyone said we sounded good, and enjoyed the selections. Patty, as always, did a good job of choosing music that flowed well. So, after all the rehearsing, it worked out well. Afterwards, I stopped at my mom and dad's on the way home. I guess it was a kidney stone, but my mom was still uncomfortable. I ate dinner with my brother and hung out with them for awhile.
On Monday, I started tech rehearsals with City Garage for BAD PENNY, which opens this
Friday. The cast has been rehearsing for several weeks, and I was a little surprised to walk in and find out that we would be using slides during this show. I've done about 6 shows in a row in the booth, and none of them used slides - and you know me with new things: I kind of panic. But that first night, Charles let me get used to the audio and light cues and he ran the slides for me. It was a good idea, because it allowed me to feel comfortable with the show and the cues without having to freak out about the machine, especially because, due to my concert, I missed the cue-to-cue, where they set the cues for the audio and sound cues. It's always a nice chance for me to get re-accustomed to the machinery. The slide machine is a bit scary, though. It's kind of old, I guess, and temperamental - there is a specific order to everything you do and every click of every switch has to come at the right time. But as we run things, I get more comfortable, and as always, I'm even more excited about the show than I was before I saw it. They've done a good job.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday
Today has been totally cool.
I had an interview this morning. It went well. We'll have to see how well, but either way, I feel good about it.
After that I stopped at Borders and chatted with my friend Bo for a minute, mocked his funny haircut in my mind only (I don't know why, he takes my ribbing really well, and is used to it and gives it right back to me), and bought David Sedaris' book and a new copy of 1984, which I have not read probably since 1984. Then I went to Target and bought $128 worth of cleaning supplies and other household items. My house is a pig sty and I am a pig and if I could just get off the damn computer (Facebook and iTunes are ruining my life, and I mean that in a good way) it might be cleaner. One of the cats had a hairball incident in the office and I said to Patrick, "Don't worry, I'll clean that up real soon," and he goes, not at all sarcastically or meanly, "What do you mean? Won't it just go away if we ignore it?" And that kind of sums up how we've been dealing with most issues around the house for quite some time.
After Target, I ran home to change my clothes and THEN I had a massage with my man, Bruce.
Yes, Bruce is My Man now. We had a lovely time, only it ended, which sucked, and now I'm going to eat some lunch and work up the energy to clean the bathroom. Yep, it's the smallest room in the house, and the dirtiest. After I eat and clean, I plan on writing a thank you letter to the ladies I interviewed with, and practicing, and listening to more music, and maybe, maybe, if there's time, going outside again, 'cause it's a gorgeous day in LB today and why the hell am I sitting here on the computer?
Oh, and I've been listening to Nirvana pretty much non-stop since Saturday when I downloaded "Nevermind." I had that album in 1991 (Patrick bought it for me, even though at the time I was dating Drew. In fact, I think right after he gave it to me, Drew and I had a little fight about something else, and I called Patrick to talk about it, and he got pissed off at me because he said I was abusing our friendship. Now that's a weird thing to remember, isn't it.) but I lost my copy or sold it or something, so I had to download it, and boy am I glad I did. "Lounge Act" is a great song. Somewhere around here I have an old copy of their first album, "Bleach," which, as soon as I find it will be permanently residing on my iPod. I just bought "In Utero" which I never owned in the first place, and I feel like putting on some leggings and a flannel shirt and my black boots and walking around with this shit blaring in my ears.
Listen to a too-short clip of "Lounge Act" here.
GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP
I had an interview this morning. It went well. We'll have to see how well, but either way, I feel good about it.
After that I stopped at Borders and chatted with my friend Bo for a minute, mocked his funny haircut in my mind only (I don't know why, he takes my ribbing really well, and is used to it and gives it right back to me), and bought David Sedaris' book and a new copy of 1984, which I have not read probably since 1984. Then I went to Target and bought $128 worth of cleaning supplies and other household items. My house is a pig sty and I am a pig and if I could just get off the damn computer (Facebook and iTunes are ruining my life, and I mean that in a good way) it might be cleaner. One of the cats had a hairball incident in the office and I said to Patrick, "Don't worry, I'll clean that up real soon," and he goes, not at all sarcastically or meanly, "What do you mean? Won't it just go away if we ignore it?" And that kind of sums up how we've been dealing with most issues around the house for quite some time.
After Target, I ran home to change my clothes and THEN I had a massage with my man, Bruce.
Yes, Bruce is My Man now. We had a lovely time, only it ended, which sucked, and now I'm going to eat some lunch and work up the energy to clean the bathroom. Yep, it's the smallest room in the house, and the dirtiest. After I eat and clean, I plan on writing a thank you letter to the ladies I interviewed with, and practicing, and listening to more music, and maybe, maybe, if there's time, going outside again, 'cause it's a gorgeous day in LB today and why the hell am I sitting here on the computer?
Oh, and I've been listening to Nirvana pretty much non-stop since Saturday when I downloaded "Nevermind." I had that album in 1991 (Patrick bought it for me, even though at the time I was dating Drew. In fact, I think right after he gave it to me, Drew and I had a little fight about something else, and I called Patrick to talk about it, and he got pissed off at me because he said I was abusing our friendship. Now that's a weird thing to remember, isn't it.) but I lost my copy or sold it or something, so I had to download it, and boy am I glad I did. "Lounge Act" is a great song. Somewhere around here I have an old copy of their first album, "Bleach," which, as soon as I find it will be permanently residing on my iPod. I just bought "In Utero" which I never owned in the first place, and I feel like putting on some leggings and a flannel shirt and my black boots and walking around with this shit blaring in my ears.
Listen to a too-short clip of "Lounge Act" here.
GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP GET UP
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Actual conversation - now updated with links to topless photos... of musicians old enough to be my father
Patrick and I were watching Electric Prom: The Who the other night. The following is an actual transcript of our conversation.
Me: Am I the only Who fan in the world who doesn't care for "Tommy"?
Patrick: Is this song from "Tommy"?
Me: ... Yes?
Patrick: You don't like "Quadrophenia" either, right?*
Me: And I call myself a Who fan!
[silence]
Me: Who do you think is a better drummer, Keith or Zac?
Patrick: They're different.
Me: Do you think Zac's better than his dad?
Patrick: Probably.
Me: Yeah, but I wish Zac could look like he was actually having fun. Keith made it look fun.
Me: God, does he ever smile?
[silence]
Me: Who do you think would look better shirtless - Pete or Roger?
Patrick: ... Well I wouldn't -
Me: OK, who do you think would look better shirtless, Pete**, Roger or Stewart?
Patrick [Decisively]: NONE.
*I think the song we were listening to was from Quadrophenia, which I'm giving a second chance. And the truth is, I love the music from "Tommy," I just can't stand the movie. There's something really, really gross about that scene with the beans. It kind of makes me sick.
Most importantly to note is, after 10 years of marriage, Patrick is always ready for these types of conversations with me. I also like to ask the following questions when we're watchng TV:
Me: Could you play this?
Me: Could you teach me to play this?
Me: Is Stewart better than this guy?
Me: Is this soundtrack by Stewart Copeland?
Me: Goddamn, is that Sting?
Me: What kind of commentary could Sting provide on John Entwhistle!
Me: Jesus Christ, what happened to Andy?
Me: WHY CAN'T WE SEE THE DRUMMER?
Me: Can we please watch "Everyone Stares" again?
Me: Can you get me a diet coke while you're up?
**Couldn't find a photo of Pete without his shirt; Frank looks pretty good, though. Surprising.
Me: Am I the only Who fan in the world who doesn't care for "Tommy"?
Patrick: Is this song from "Tommy"?
Me: ... Yes?
Patrick: You don't like "Quadrophenia" either, right?*
Me: And I call myself a Who fan!
[silence]
Me: Who do you think is a better drummer, Keith or Zac?
Patrick: They're different.
Me: Do you think Zac's better than his dad?
Patrick: Probably.
Me: Yeah, but I wish Zac could look like he was actually having fun. Keith made it look fun.
Me: God, does he ever smile?
[silence]
Me: Who do you think would look better shirtless - Pete or Roger?
Patrick: ... Well I wouldn't -
Me: OK, who do you think would look better shirtless, Pete**, Roger or Stewart?
Patrick [Decisively]: NONE.
*I think the song we were listening to was from Quadrophenia, which I'm giving a second chance. And the truth is, I love the music from "Tommy," I just can't stand the movie. There's something really, really gross about that scene with the beans. It kind of makes me sick.
Most importantly to note is, after 10 years of marriage, Patrick is always ready for these types of conversations with me. I also like to ask the following questions when we're watchng TV:
Me: Could you play this?
Me: Could you teach me to play this?
Me: Is Stewart better than this guy?
Me: Is this soundtrack by Stewart Copeland?
Me: Goddamn, is that Sting?
Me: What kind of commentary could Sting provide on John Entwhistle!
Me: Jesus Christ, what happened to Andy?
Me: WHY CAN'T WE SEE THE DRUMMER?
Me: Can we please watch "Everyone Stares" again?
Me: Can you get me a diet coke while you're up?
**Couldn't find a photo of Pete without his shirt; Frank looks pretty good, though. Surprising.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Happy birthday, Stewart Copeland
Happy day, Stewart!
Sorry, Dad. And, um, Patrick. Oh, yeah, and Fiona.
But Stewart looks so happy, doesn't he?
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Decisions, decisions
So, it's no secret that things have been a little weird at work lately. I got a promotion, and when I tell people, I sort of make apologies for it (not because I think what I'm saying is so amazing, or from some fake sense of modesty, but because, hey, I am proud I'm not a secretary anymore) - I was promoted from Senior Secretary II to Administrative Assistant II, and I think in most other workplaces, Administrative Assistant is a pretty euphemism for Secretary. However, there are real, actual differences, including but not limited to, pay but also the level of duties, responsibilities. There's a thing called a job spec that if I could share with you, you would understand better what I mean. However, to make a long story short, there is a difference, it is supposed to be a promotion, a raising of the bar. The places an AA II can go are a bit different than what's expected from a secretary.
But because my actual job has some flexibility, I am able to remain in my prior position, working for the same boss, but with a new job title. That's all that's going to change.
To me, though, this seems like a great opportunity to make some changes, some improvements, for me to learn things outside the scope of my job as a secretary... and I have a feeling it's not going to happen. There's a lot of upheaval in my job right now - last week my boss distributed a memo that outlined a lot of movement in our unit, some of which none of us saw coming, though, did she mention my promotion? No, but she did mention the promotions of others. Nice. When I got the promotion, I made a point of asking my boss if she had any plans of changing my job duties or her expectations, but she didn't have the time to meet with me then (she was going on vacation and was slammed that week), and obviously we still haven't met. She did take the time to review the tasks and standards list she'd given me when I first started working for her (I emailed her the Word document), but all she did was change one tiny thing (I don't even remember), and she didn't change the title (the word "Secretarial" is in caps, and bolded, at the top of the page).
I was talking about this with some friends, and some of them I think misunderstood what I'm trying to say, so I'd better be clearer. I am not complaining about my work load, though I do a lot. I don't think I'm doing too much or want easier tasks. But I do think I should be given the opportunity, with a change in title, to learn something, to have the opportunity to gain some skills that if I ever did leave this crazy position and this crazy department would actually be of some use to me. And I also think that my boss's actual secretary, a woman who has been around forever and has a lot of knowledge but is surprisingly inefficient, gets away with murder. She's so totally nice and likable, though, that her total ineptness somehow is charming and sweet. Really, I don't know how she does it. Bottom line, though, she's no help whatsoever.
The upheaval is pretty upsetting to me, too. A lot of people are moving around to different titles and positions, and I'm a little unsure if the changes are for the better or to avoid people from causing a ruckus (people like to cause a ruckus at my job). I don't want a ruckus. I just want a clear direction, and I'm not getting it.
I talked to Patrick about this, and he knows a few other details and we had sort of decided that I would stick it out for another six months to let things settle and to figure things out. Then yesterday, on my way out of the office, I got a call from one of the departments in our area (all the other calls I've been getting have been for departments based in downtown LA, a commute I've done before but would never do again), and now I'm back to figuring out what I should do. On the one hand, a new start would be a relief. There would be no question about what is expected of me. But on the other hand, there's the matter of loyalty, and of finding out what my current job is going to be after crazy time is over. If crazy time is ever over.
So. Thinking. And... craving ice cream.
...
Oh! Over the weekend, Patrick and I went to downtown Long Beach to check out a couple of furniture stores (we really need a new couch). One of the stores we visited was this huge place on LB Blvd. - I found somethng I could've lived with (leather, though, black) but Patrick wasn't sold on it, and then we started debating what it was, exactly, we were looking for in a couch (a conversation that might've been more civil had it not been so goddamn hot in there). Anyway, we were walking through, looking at everything that wasn't a couch, when we both heard it:
Words we sort of recognized, set to a beat and a melody that were totally foreign. Phrases that had been kind of a big deal in our childhoods (is there a plural of "childhood"?). It was disturbing and at the same time, oddly fascinating. We sat down in the middle of the store, even though we were both sweating and my nose was running.
The song? "Comfortably Numb," covered by the Scissors Sisters. Both the best and the absolute worst thing I have ever heard. The clip hardly does it justice.
But because my actual job has some flexibility, I am able to remain in my prior position, working for the same boss, but with a new job title. That's all that's going to change.
To me, though, this seems like a great opportunity to make some changes, some improvements, for me to learn things outside the scope of my job as a secretary... and I have a feeling it's not going to happen. There's a lot of upheaval in my job right now - last week my boss distributed a memo that outlined a lot of movement in our unit, some of which none of us saw coming, though, did she mention my promotion? No, but she did mention the promotions of others. Nice. When I got the promotion, I made a point of asking my boss if she had any plans of changing my job duties or her expectations, but she didn't have the time to meet with me then (she was going on vacation and was slammed that week), and obviously we still haven't met. She did take the time to review the tasks and standards list she'd given me when I first started working for her (I emailed her the Word document), but all she did was change one tiny thing (I don't even remember), and she didn't change the title (the word "Secretarial" is in caps, and bolded, at the top of the page).
I was talking about this with some friends, and some of them I think misunderstood what I'm trying to say, so I'd better be clearer. I am not complaining about my work load, though I do a lot. I don't think I'm doing too much or want easier tasks. But I do think I should be given the opportunity, with a change in title, to learn something, to have the opportunity to gain some skills that if I ever did leave this crazy position and this crazy department would actually be of some use to me. And I also think that my boss's actual secretary, a woman who has been around forever and has a lot of knowledge but is surprisingly inefficient, gets away with murder. She's so totally nice and likable, though, that her total ineptness somehow is charming and sweet. Really, I don't know how she does it. Bottom line, though, she's no help whatsoever.
The upheaval is pretty upsetting to me, too. A lot of people are moving around to different titles and positions, and I'm a little unsure if the changes are for the better or to avoid people from causing a ruckus (people like to cause a ruckus at my job). I don't want a ruckus. I just want a clear direction, and I'm not getting it.
I talked to Patrick about this, and he knows a few other details and we had sort of decided that I would stick it out for another six months to let things settle and to figure things out. Then yesterday, on my way out of the office, I got a call from one of the departments in our area (all the other calls I've been getting have been for departments based in downtown LA, a commute I've done before but would never do again), and now I'm back to figuring out what I should do. On the one hand, a new start would be a relief. There would be no question about what is expected of me. But on the other hand, there's the matter of loyalty, and of finding out what my current job is going to be after crazy time is over. If crazy time is ever over.
So. Thinking. And... craving ice cream.
...
Oh! Over the weekend, Patrick and I went to downtown Long Beach to check out a couple of furniture stores (we really need a new couch). One of the stores we visited was this huge place on LB Blvd. - I found somethng I could've lived with (leather, though, black) but Patrick wasn't sold on it, and then we started debating what it was, exactly, we were looking for in a couch (a conversation that might've been more civil had it not been so goddamn hot in there). Anyway, we were walking through, looking at everything that wasn't a couch, when we both heard it:
Words we sort of recognized, set to a beat and a melody that were totally foreign. Phrases that had been kind of a big deal in our childhoods (is there a plural of "childhood"?). It was disturbing and at the same time, oddly fascinating. We sat down in the middle of the store, even though we were both sweating and my nose was running.
The song? "Comfortably Numb," covered by the Scissors Sisters. Both the best and the absolute worst thing I have ever heard. The clip hardly does it justice.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Attack of the sinuses
I've had pretty bad sinus trouble the last few days. I guess it started Wednesday or Thursday? I've been achy, with a headache, a lot of congestion, occasional fever, coughing, sneezing...
I've had a rehearsal scheduled for about a month for this little quartet gig I'm doing later this month with my flute teacher, my old high school band teacher, and another flutist. It was on Sunday. I worried about this rehearsal since I first started with the symptoms - because my breathing was affected. I mean, if I just had a runny nose, I could deal. But try playing the flute when every inhalation results in some microscopic spot in the back of your throat being tickled, which then sets of a coughing jag that lasts about 10 minutes.
So on Saturday, Patrick went to the store and purchased Tylenol Sinus for me, and I took it that night, and sure enough, it dried me up; I thought I was home free. (Normally I don't like this kind of medication, because even though they put "Non-Drowsy" on the packaging, this stuff usually puts me to sleep instantly.)
Sunday, I get to the rehearsal, hoarse from coughing, armed with Purell hand sanitizer and my own box of Kleenex, and we started to play. I had taken the Tylenol Sinus right before I left the house. I had planned this out, right? Everything went okay for about 45 minutes, and then it started. It was as if all the coughing that had been suppressed was now, with a new audience, ready for its close up. It was awful. It was the kind of coughing where, once you finally stop, you're shaking and weakened and your voice is all jacked up. I wanted to keep going, I needed to rehearse this music, we all did (most of what we're playing is typical flute choir type music - beautiful, square! But Joe, my old high school band teacher, is playing flute 1 on this one piece called "That's a Plenty -I get to play bass, it's fun, and the bass part is all syncopated and funky - I needed the time on this one). Anyway, so bottom line is, we had to find another rehearsal date. And I need to get better before our gig, because coughing on stage sucks.
I've had a rehearsal scheduled for about a month for this little quartet gig I'm doing later this month with my flute teacher, my old high school band teacher, and another flutist. It was on Sunday. I worried about this rehearsal since I first started with the symptoms - because my breathing was affected. I mean, if I just had a runny nose, I could deal. But try playing the flute when every inhalation results in some microscopic spot in the back of your throat being tickled, which then sets of a coughing jag that lasts about 10 minutes.
So on Saturday, Patrick went to the store and purchased Tylenol Sinus for me, and I took it that night, and sure enough, it dried me up; I thought I was home free. (Normally I don't like this kind of medication, because even though they put "Non-Drowsy" on the packaging, this stuff usually puts me to sleep instantly.)
Sunday, I get to the rehearsal, hoarse from coughing, armed with Purell hand sanitizer and my own box of Kleenex, and we started to play. I had taken the Tylenol Sinus right before I left the house. I had planned this out, right? Everything went okay for about 45 minutes, and then it started. It was as if all the coughing that had been suppressed was now, with a new audience, ready for its close up. It was awful. It was the kind of coughing where, once you finally stop, you're shaking and weakened and your voice is all jacked up. I wanted to keep going, I needed to rehearse this music, we all did (most of what we're playing is typical flute choir type music - beautiful, square! But Joe, my old high school band teacher, is playing flute 1 on this one piece called "That's a Plenty -I get to play bass, it's fun, and the bass part is all syncopated and funky - I needed the time on this one). Anyway, so bottom line is, we had to find another rehearsal date. And I need to get better before our gig, because coughing on stage sucks.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
You get what you pay for
On Sunday, I spent most of the day with my family, celebrating my brother Andy and my sister Angie's birthday (they're twins!). Patrick is still pretty sick (he has bronchitis, the big baby), but my mom and dad really wanted to see me, my brother Dan was cooking, and Patrick was 99% guaranteed to sleep all day anyway... so I went without him.
Dan grilled us all steaks, I stopped at Pavilions and bought the makings of a terrific salad (note to Culver City residents: what is up with the NUT BAR in your Pavilions! Seriously! Are you guys eating that many different kinds of nuts that you need a freakin' bar?? Who's buying all those damn nuts?) - that salad took me an hour to make. I am one slow-ass chopper. Anyway, the food was delicious, simple, and having my family together (minus poor, sick Patrick) was fun.
After we played some games and I threw the ball around for Rocco and Goldie, it was time to cut the cake. My mom bought an Angel Maid cake, which of course we all love. Unfortunately my brother Andy had to work (their birthday was actually two weeks ago... we've had scheduling issues, another reason for doing it without Patrick), but don't worry, we saved him a piece. While we're sitting around the dining room table, eating our yummy and perfect cake, my sister says, "Well! I would've preferred a VONS cake!"
A VONS cake?? Or an Angel Maid cake? Really, Angie?
Now, my sister is frugal. She takes frugal to another level, to tell the truth. She believes in the power of her money, and her money has more power the longer it stays in her bank account. So I get that she considers an Angel Maid cake to be "expensive," and that would color her opinion of the cake itself. But sometimes, Angela, you've got to spend a little money for quality. And then my brother Dan basically called her a fool and laughed in her face (but lovingly, honest). So we all gave her the "you get what you pay for, and in the case of a cake from Vons, what you pay for is about 2 inches of solid lard frosting" speech, and then we all shut up because we were having our second pieces of Angel Maid cake.
Yesterday, I decided that the thing I needed most in the world was a haircut. Now, I've had my share of expensive haircuts. I paid $70 for the last one (and I guess that's cheap, too, depending on what you're used to spending on a haircut. I was used to getting my hair cut in Missy's backyard), and while the experience itself was okay (two people blow drying me at once! [this is not a euphemism]), the haircut itself was nothing special. And then the guy (Carlos, I believe his name was) tried to convince me A) to wash my hair every other day (or less! But that's fucking crazy) and B) that I must blow dry my hair AND use hot rollers (this after I explained that I am a wash & go kind of gal, proud of my bed-head). I think I have mentioned that my best haircuts were given to me by someone who now makes a very good living as a dental hygienist? So I figured, hey, Supercuts. They did an OK job last time, right? And I need to clean up my bang-area. Whatever that part of my hair is called. The "fringe."
So... I came home from work yesterday, practiced for 45 minutes, and then set off for my haircut. The girl was sweet, her name was Jen, and I told her that I needed a trim, the bangs cleaned up and that she could "take it up as far as you want." Yes, I said that. I was very tired yesterday.
Well, Jen apparently wanted me to have short bangs (not super-short, but about eyebrow length) because that's what she did. My first reaction was, "oh shit." But now I'm getting used to it. Last time I saw my Irish (Scottish? I never remember. He has a killer accent) friend Barry, he said to me, "nice haircut! You do it yourself?" If I see Barry in the next couple of weeks, I might ask if he'd like to have a go at it. He might clean it up for me.
Now that I've had 24 hours to get used to it, it's not that bad, really. And bangs grow quickly. And my friend Andrea at work said that the rest of my hair actually looked longer, which seems a bit impossible, but hey, I'll take it.
Oh, and I keep forgetting to mention: one of the blogs I read is written by my friend Julie's friend who is going through chemotherapy for breast cancer. It's a nicely written blog, the lady is very brave, and it kind of makes me remember what my mother went through and to not take anything for granted. Anyway, Marla (that's the lady's name) wrote about playing some Wii games with her kid, and showed a photo of the Mii her son had made for her. I like my Mii - photo someday - but her Mii was named "Mommy" and that right there choked me up. My Mii is named, not so surprisingly, "Irene," and I never considered calling it anything else. The cats just call me "meow!" I thought it was very sweet, and probably not very original, but still. I don't know. I've been thinking about it quite a lot lately.
So tonight after a hard day at work, what did I do? I came home and played tennis, bowled, checked my Wii fitness (my Wii age? 36! What a coincidence!), did some target practice, rode a cow...
Dan grilled us all steaks, I stopped at Pavilions and bought the makings of a terrific salad (note to Culver City residents: what is up with the NUT BAR in your Pavilions! Seriously! Are you guys eating that many different kinds of nuts that you need a freakin' bar?? Who's buying all those damn nuts?) - that salad took me an hour to make. I am one slow-ass chopper. Anyway, the food was delicious, simple, and having my family together (minus poor, sick Patrick) was fun.
After we played some games and I threw the ball around for Rocco and Goldie, it was time to cut the cake. My mom bought an Angel Maid cake, which of course we all love. Unfortunately my brother Andy had to work (their birthday was actually two weeks ago... we've had scheduling issues, another reason for doing it without Patrick), but don't worry, we saved him a piece. While we're sitting around the dining room table, eating our yummy and perfect cake, my sister says, "Well! I would've preferred a VONS cake!"
A VONS cake?? Or an Angel Maid cake? Really, Angie?
Now, my sister is frugal. She takes frugal to another level, to tell the truth. She believes in the power of her money, and her money has more power the longer it stays in her bank account. So I get that she considers an Angel Maid cake to be "expensive," and that would color her opinion of the cake itself. But sometimes, Angela, you've got to spend a little money for quality. And then my brother Dan basically called her a fool and laughed in her face (but lovingly, honest). So we all gave her the "you get what you pay for, and in the case of a cake from Vons, what you pay for is about 2 inches of solid lard frosting" speech, and then we all shut up because we were having our second pieces of Angel Maid cake.
Yesterday, I decided that the thing I needed most in the world was a haircut. Now, I've had my share of expensive haircuts. I paid $70 for the last one (and I guess that's cheap, too, depending on what you're used to spending on a haircut. I was used to getting my hair cut in Missy's backyard), and while the experience itself was okay (two people blow drying me at once! [this is not a euphemism]), the haircut itself was nothing special. And then the guy (Carlos, I believe his name was) tried to convince me A) to wash my hair every other day (or less! But that's fucking crazy) and B) that I must blow dry my hair AND use hot rollers (this after I explained that I am a wash & go kind of gal, proud of my bed-head). I think I have mentioned that my best haircuts were given to me by someone who now makes a very good living as a dental hygienist? So I figured, hey, Supercuts. They did an OK job last time, right? And I need to clean up my bang-area. Whatever that part of my hair is called. The "fringe."
So... I came home from work yesterday, practiced for 45 minutes, and then set off for my haircut. The girl was sweet, her name was Jen, and I told her that I needed a trim, the bangs cleaned up and that she could "take it up as far as you want." Yes, I said that. I was very tired yesterday.
Well, Jen apparently wanted me to have short bangs (not super-short, but about eyebrow length) because that's what she did. My first reaction was, "oh shit." But now I'm getting used to it. Last time I saw my Irish (Scottish? I never remember. He has a killer accent) friend Barry, he said to me, "nice haircut! You do it yourself?" If I see Barry in the next couple of weeks, I might ask if he'd like to have a go at it. He might clean it up for me.
Now that I've had 24 hours to get used to it, it's not that bad, really. And bangs grow quickly. And my friend Andrea at work said that the rest of my hair actually looked longer, which seems a bit impossible, but hey, I'll take it.
Oh, and I keep forgetting to mention: one of the blogs I read is written by my friend Julie's friend who is going through chemotherapy for breast cancer. It's a nicely written blog, the lady is very brave, and it kind of makes me remember what my mother went through and to not take anything for granted. Anyway, Marla (that's the lady's name) wrote about playing some Wii games with her kid, and showed a photo of the Mii her son had made for her. I like my Mii - photo someday - but her Mii was named "Mommy" and that right there choked me up. My Mii is named, not so surprisingly, "Irene," and I never considered calling it anything else. The cats just call me "meow!" I thought it was very sweet, and probably not very original, but still. I don't know. I've been thinking about it quite a lot lately.
So tonight after a hard day at work, what did I do? I came home and played tennis, bowled, checked my Wii fitness (my Wii age? 36! What a coincidence!), did some target practice, rode a cow...
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