8:56 PM - 26.09.04
Reflections
Happy birthday, Eugene, Will and Heather.
Well, the cats came back. The worker who picked up two of our kittens on Wednesday called last night to say that the family cat that they had thought was gone forever came back on Friday. Apparently, she didn't like the new resident felines at all. In addition, our two babies obviously didn't like their new digs very much either. Apparently both of them hid in the ceiling of their new domicile, emerging only to grab a bite to eat or to use the litter box. Well at least they showed good manners - right? Could we come retrieve the kittens? Surely. When the staffer in question first met the cats, all the kittens ran downstairs and their moms actively hid them away. I don't think it was a good choice to them adopt them away to begin with. Their siblings and moms had been moping since they had left so their return might be a good thing. My oldest was over visiting with his son and daughter, so he and my youngest headed off to the rescue. Joyous and riotous reunion to say the least. Ms Star was coated with paint and plaster from renovations that were going on at the new domicile. Her sibs busily helped clean it all off. Gandalf - the reserved and reticent baby - was all purrs and cuddles. Both kept wrapping their little bodies around my legs asking to be picked up. The momma cats wrapped their front paws around the exiles, cosseting and caressing them still, even as we speak. The whole cat family spent the evening playing games together - I could hear them using the bathtub to ramp up their speed in their game of tag at about 3 in the am. I think if I won a lottery right now - my youngest says the universe doesn't favour people who are doing their best to be good citizens - I would buy a farm/acreage closer to the mountains and raise cats, grandbabies and herb/fruit and flower gardens on it. Maybe some horses and chickens as well for variety. Maybe it could become a retreat for people who need meditation by going "back to the land". Well you never know do you. It could happen - wish upon a star.
Went to pick up groceries this morning as well as more telephone cable. Apparently teething kittens can bite through the cord with little effort. You might not have noticed dear diary, but I was writing my stories to you on the Elections Canada computer because the other couldn't connect to the internet anymore. When I walked to the store it was raining autumn leaves - the first of the season. Crunchy yellow ones underfoot, with blazing red and orange burning bushes eveywhere standing in stark contrast against emerald green lawns. Pretty. A bit of a nip in the air hinting of the weeks of Indian summer to come. Hot in the day - cool at night.
At the grocery store, Hallowe'en/Samhain decorations and costumes sitting beside the spring bulbs that need to be planted now if one wants the vernal flowers. Grabbed a package of shade tolerant ones that my youngest says he'll plant for me. The cabbie was slow in coming - said he had been in the middle of trying to fix his vehicle. Carefully asked if the brakes were in top shape. No problem there, it was the trunk and the distributor caps that were the problem. Fine. He had one of those deep mellifluous voices that belong to radio announcers and the patter to go with it. I wondered why he would opt to drive for a living, but it was obvious he enjoyed his work and was also very knowledgeable about how to keep his chariot well-tuned and running smoothly. If I ever decided to learn how to drive, I'd want someone like him to teach me how and help me find a vehicle, I think. Maybe when I win that lottery and buy my acreage. I'll have to drive then won't I? Telecommuting won't bring in the groceries - or will it?
Spent a lot of the weekend corresponding, notwithstanding the chewed cables. Report for my supervisor of course. He had told me, when I talked with him on Thursday, that my assistant tech for the election had agreed to work for him on the project where he needed to replace my co-worker from the last assignment. He was very pleased with the quality of the tech's presentation. Truth is he is way over-qualified and will go well beyond what is required in the contract, but that might be the way he lands more permanent work too. After a couple of years away from the industry to raise a child, it can be very difficult to find a way back in. When I arrived home I found an e-mail fro said tech expressing his point of view on a number of topics. Wrote him back and provided some clarification (I hope),where it was merited, about my supervisor and the work that he does.
Another e-mail went to the three women who work for our local Member of Parliament. My Assistant heard from the head of payroll herself on Friday - pay in one week, guaranteed. About time. An e-mail from my financial officer letting me know that there was a voicemail from Elections Canada asking her to call them back on Monday - maybe good news about the others being paid, we can hope anyway. Emailed my Assistant and Financial Officer back giving each of them the pieces of the story that they didn't have then that thank you e-mail to the three women who worked hard to make Elections Canada honour their responsibilities to their workers.
Then there was the e-mail from the Returning Officer who has been assigned to work in the Ukraine helping prepare for their elections. Apparently, the Canadian envoy to the country has been called on the carpet by the current Ukrainian hegemony, because they questioned the fairness of the process. My friend noted that the voters' lists she had seen had been seriously padded with extra names and the setup of polling stations appeared to be set up to create maximum chaos. Easier to hide the other shenanigans that way I guess.
Kind of like what is going on at work with the takeover of the other company, I think. Maximum chaos and stress, created by some, to hide the fact they are shipping out extra files or data that isn't part of the deal. The other thing that is not on the up and up is the scanning project itself. This week the liaison showed me the electronic records already stored in another format that can be imported directly in to the software that I have been working with. I've already done some importing of data. It is faster, cleaner and a better quality of data capture by far than a paper scan which has no capacity for colour and very little graphics quality with respect to drawings and photos. So why is all this time being invested in the paper part of the scanning when the most critical data could and should already be brought in and made available for the staff right now. It also explains why I have been obstructed in scanning those documents in their hard copy format and begs the question of why I have been brought in at all. Whatever my function was intended to be it had very little to do with the scanning project, I think. The more I think about it - and I was as I was writing to my assistant tech and my supervisor about the week's incidents - the more it appears I was likely brought in there to be another set of eyes and ears - another quality control maven - so that the damage done by whoever wanted to hide their activities behind the chaos created with the takeover, could be stemmed at the very least. It seems to have had some effect, but why not just say so to begin with?
Anyway, another weekend with no substantive progress on the housework side of things, so I guess I'd better try to salvage some time for that now. Good night dear diary.
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