00:13 - 08.05.05
Scenes
Today started out exactly like yesterday. Some time after noon the telephone started ringing. It isn't officially a work day, but I was fairly certain that there would be feedback from various quarters.
The first call was one of those eye rollers. Some one didn't read their instructions and panic was spreading as one called another who called the next. Quite honestly, in non-election times I don't bother much with memos coming from Elections Canada either. The contents are usually just the official PA's sent to the press and the political parties. They really don't impact my job, nor do they have enough substance to provide me with any real assistance. Right now though every word coming out of EC is obviously carefully weighed and measured. Every communication is critical because so little of anyone's hand is being shown. We are only told information on a need to know basis.
Someone today hadn't checked their email, so hadn't realized they were receiving a delivery of supplies - maps and geography products. Important yes, but not critical election supplies by any stretch of the imagination. The sequencing was odd though. Why would we receive those the day after a geography specific assignment that will force a lot of amendments to the product just shipped.
The call I received wasn't from the RO, it was from the local rep. The RO had called her to ask for verification. It sounded as though they had jumped the gun together by making assumptions instead of reading their memos or calling Ottawa. The call from the rep was to pressure me to start acting as though an election call was imminent. I think not. Especially when the suggestion was to start spending a lot of money in anticipation of same. Don't think so. Sent back an email giving her the number of the memo that had the information they needed. Started praying that the rep's call out to all the Southern Alberta RO's not trigger local hysteria. I'm not in the mood to take endless phone calls from people who just want gossip or speculation. For one thing I still barely have a voice and I want to rest this weekend so I can go to work on Monday.
The word must have leaked out somewhere though, because I did get calls from some of my staff. As it turned out they were ones I wanted to touch base with anyway so no harm done so far. Sent emails to my assistant and my tech just updating them with respect to various parts of their jobs. One of the staff had been offered a speaking role in a made for TV movie but turned it down. Promoting violence by acting it out went against their conscience. I had never considered that issue, but then again I always just expected to be part of a crowd scene, nothing more. Hmmmm.
Anyway the rest of the day was just spent resting and reading and that's my story for tonight dear diary.
�
�
