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1:42 AM - 08.12.04
Puzzles
I've been waiting in line since 7 pm for my turn at the computer. That's the price one pays, I guess, when you try to make certain your children are technologically competent. Less play time for me. The upside was that I got to watch the battle of the bands in Blues Brothers 2000. Ummmm good. One of the guitar players in the one band looks an awful lot like number two son, only with less hair. It set me back for a minute or two. That son has worked on building parts of movie sets, but he hasn't ever mentioned any other affiliation with the industry. When he was still in school, he did a fair amount of stand up comedy with a couple of his buddies and they were actually very good. They used to hang out at the Loose Moose theater with all the other comedy junkies in the city. Not a bad way to spend one's time, I guess.

It must have been the weather, -17 C/0 F, with the wind chill the equivalent of -26 C/-15 F. I was dressed for the -17 C temperature and paid the price, with frostbite starting on my cheeks. Made me cranky, I know better. Anyway I boarded the jam packed bus at about 3:30 in the pm for a meeting downtown with my supervisor and seemed to see a lot of the behaviours I detest most. Thin/frost-bitten skin most likely right? First one young Miss - flawless skin, perfectly styled blonde hair,cornflower blue eyes, nice clothes. Very pretty presentation altogether - then she opened her mouth and turned into one ugly harpie, she did. Foul, barely literate language, rudeness and verbal abuse being slanged at the bus driver for asking her to stand back so he could look in the mirrors in order to navigate ice covered roads. He stopped, opened the doors and asked her if she would like to comply or step off the bus. I don't think I would have given her the option since we were about to enter the freeway. She showed a total disregard for everyone else's safety and continued her fulminations right to the train station. What an idiot.

Next up the woman who was shopping. Each of us pays for one ticket entitling us to one seat. She thought her one package meant that she should have two or four. Stuck her filthy boots up on the seat across from her, trying to discourage anyone else from sitting in those four seats. Meant the next person who sat there without realizing what the previous rider had done would end up with a sodden, dirty coat. The soaking of the fabric creates a very high risk of freezing for someone wearing said garment. The dirt means that the coat would have to be dry cleaned like as not - very expensive but necessary. Wearing winter clothes in poor repair with these kind of windchill factors can be dangerous.

Next was the group who sat behind me. The seats are clamped back to back. One was digging in their back pack looking for something and elbowed me in the head - no apology. One of the others kept leaning back into my space trapping my hair between them and the seat - pulling it and making it necessary for me to lean forward to avoid a reverse head butt from said fellow traveller. Just me being grumpy I guess.

When I had talked with my supervisor last night, I had indicated to him that I wanted to go through with the interview today for the permanent full time position anyway. I wasn't really all that sure that was so, because what I really do want is to get the schooling in before the next election. However, I wanted to at least have the chance to sit down and think things through thoroughly. By this morning, I had decided I wouldn't interview because I knew I wasn't intending to go that route - sleeping on things really works sometimes - and I didn't think it was fair to waste a placement agency's time and efforts for their client. I called first thing and spoke with the woman who had called me explaining why I was backing out, citing the schooling as well as the election work. I told her about the contract my supervisor had offered last night and she was very positive about it. Could she call me in February just to see if I was available for other short term contracts? She had a 4 day a week one in mind. Yes that would be great. Industry demands change all the time, so one never counts on anything until the contract is inked, but it was a boost to know that she still wanted to work with me.

My supervisor called just shortly after that conversation and asked if I could meet him and the person who had been my assistant tech for the election at the client's office. My assistant tech had been offered this contract on my recommendation after the co-worker from the contract before had quit. He has now finished off the 3 months he had committed to. He has a full time offer of employment on the table and wants to move on - would I step in to that position now? Sure - I guess.

The odd thing was that assistant had called me the evening before and we had had a very long conversation on a number of issues surrounding the work we do. His opening line had been something to the effect of "Am I crazy or is there another layer of activity that goes on with the data management company" I acknowledged that that had been my observation, but that it was also a legitimate player in the work it advertised doing. At the same time, he said that there didn't appear to be anything untoward in the data he was working with, so I'm not certain why he asked that question. He then asked about some anomalies he had noticed in our supervisor's actions. Why did he project this persona here and that one there, why wasn't he more aggressive in his approach? I just noted that he had more masks in his back pocket than almost anyone I knew and used them as required. I ran through a few examples of how the masks were shuffled and left it at that. He also seemed to be probing as to what my plans were - almost as though he was aware of the crossroads I had reached. Just strange.

He had mentioned that my supervisor had said that he was bringing in a young woman to fill in for him and that I would be working with data from another department. That is what I had understood too. When I arrived there, the young woman was waiting in the lobby of the office tower as well. We went upstairs with my supervisor and it soon became apparent that the plan had changed. He wanted us both to cover the position my assistant tech was leaving. He said it was because the client now wanted that part of the project wrapped up much faster than first agreed. Fine. Spent about an hour going through the basics and then prepared to go home. My tech made a point of asking if I would tavel home with him and that made sense - why sit on different train cars. I said fine but asked my supervisor first if he needed me to stay behind to get anything else done, since he looked as though he had been about to ask me for something. He said no that he would go back to the office and deal with the work himself. Hmmmmm.

The tech and I got on the train shortly after and travelled two stops together. At City Hall station the driver made the announcement over the intercom that all power - and therefore service along the northern route - had been cut due to a major accident at one of the stations further along. He sounded really angry and frustrated. He recommended that those who knew of an alternate route to their destination get off there, since there was no word on when the trains would be allowed to travel again. 6 pm and no train. Post rush hour bus service is usually about one quarter of day time service. There are alternate routes to get home, but it would likely take a minimum of two hours with most of that being spent outside at various bus stops waiting for connections. Given I wasn't dressed for the weather in the "warmer" part of the day I was reluctant to try that route. I asked the tech if he would like to share a cab ride to the end of the line station where we normally debark. He had parked his car there, so we could save some money and a lot of time by amking that choice. We arrived at my door by 6:30 pm instead of the 8 pm return that would have been likely if we had tried transit.

The odd thing was he had reversed his attitude completely from the conversation of the evening before, dissing the project, the process, the industry and my supervisor all at the same time. In fact the attack on my supervisor became very personal indeed.

At a guess, I think the job offer that he had said he was leaving the assignment for appeared less certain than he had first thought. I think that he was frustrated that he found himself in that betwixt and between state, but that wasn't my superviosr's fault. Contract negotiation is extremely difficult and is never firm until that paper is finally signed. I can empathize with the process because one of my major functions when I was volunteering was to do the fund raising proposals. Sometimes hundreds of hours were spent doing the research, crunching the numbers, writing the rationale and the proposed program, going to endless meetings with the different committees that one donor might have and at the end, the response might still be no. Competition for limited funds, just like limited contracts means that being on game even 50% of the time is not that bad a batting average. I think my tech was hoping that my superviosr would renegotiate this contract so that my tech could stay, but with better pay - which he does deserve - and more stable prospects. In otherwords a long term consultant's contract. Those things one has to go pitch on one's own. My supervisor's job is to represent the data management company's best interests. If those aren't what one believes are their best interest, the onus is on the worker to find a better deal for themselves. Anyway a lot more foul language and ranting about industry conditions that really are foul, but aren't going to change unless one is willing to put in the time and effort necessary to change one company at a time. Oh well.

Walked in my front door and decided that pizza therapy was in order. I know I don't really have the funds and frivolous spending on cabs and take out is wrong, but I do have an assignment and I don't want to start off sick or tired. Preventive maintenance. The phone rang about a half hour later and it was my supervisor. He said he felt the young lady didn't have quite enough skills to work in this placement, so he was going to put her in another position instead. He said he was going to be putting the co-worker I had had at the assignment that was concurrent with the federal election back in the office with me instead. He was the one who had gone into this assignment first then quit when he was offered another job. He was also the one complaining about work conditions and pay and who really didn't know as much as it appeared my supervisor believed he did either. Not that it's my call, but what has changed in his attitude or values that will be of assistance in this contract. What happened at the other job he quit to take? Don't know. I think that I would rather train the young woman who at least showed some initiative and interest while we were going through the hoops tonight.

Anyay the kittens have sprawled themselves out across the desk, the keyboard, the printer and the top of the computer. Guess that's a hint. Good night dear diary. Talk with you tomorrow.

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