20:49 - 06.11.05
confusion
Another really hectic day dear diary and it isn't even over yet. Today it felt more like swimming agaisnt the current though. Every electrical or technological thing I had to deal with, from phone to plugins to computers, simply would not do what they were built to do. Mercury doesn't go retrograde until the 14th of this month, so I think that the time from now until early December might be rather frustrating, to say the least. The contractor comes back tomorrow to put up the new fence. So the drill for today was to get all the prep work finished before sundown. Right. Add in trying to make headway with the elections assignment, still with no fully operational computer at hand. My youngest did manage to get Word and Excel up for me. That meant I could at least open the forms I had been able to access last night from the Elections Canada resource we have. It was closed off again today, so if I hadn't tried in desperation last night to open that program I would have been hooped. However that said, it just seemed that Fred, the work ghost, was hanging around looking for things to amuse himself. You know, like hiding that one single bit of paper I had just seen, that had that one piece of information necessary to complete a task.
So, will I get everything in on time. Well except for the one software program that can only be opened or transmitted on the EC computer? Yes probably, after spending about 12 hours on it today. I did have one l hour meeting with one of my community relations officers - just to get her paperwork done and her instructions worked out. Each of my officers has to write up their own plan of action that is to be in addition to the one I'm supposed to create. When I spoke to the gentleman heading up that initiative, he told me all he really wanted, in addtion to the 10 pages of documentation I'd already sent, was a list of the groups or organizations I would be asking my outreach officers to contact. Fine, I can manage that. Just not today.
I did get all the other loose ends tied up and my youngest was working away trying to help me sort through some of the older records so that I can pitch what isn't needed - you know - old maps from a decade ago. The size of my riding has doubled since then, so polling divisions and such have changed dramatically. The redistribution of the boundaries changed the entire shape of the district too. No comparison between then and now. Out the door they go.
The problem with work like that is that it creates even more somehow. Instead of looking like a lot less paper, there actually seems to be more. I don't know how it multiplies like that - must be the cats' doing. My youngest was really wanting to leave tonight, but wouldn't say why. Turned out it was scheduled to be hockey pool night at his Dad's. I'm guessing he thought I would be upset that he was going. I really don't care except when his Dad gets him all wound up and angry, then sends him back home. I never know what has been said or done, but I'm the one who has to deal with the anger and the passive aggression that is how my youngest copes with things. You know, like not following through on things I need him to do. Tonight he was trying to sneak some papers out with him and that bothered me too. Turned out to be a certificate of recognition for his Dad's work on a committee that affects the industry he works in. When he left, he just took essentials then snuck back in while I was at work to take what he wanted. I have no problem with his Dad having any paperwork he's entitled to, but there have been times when critical documents like my tax returns and property documents have gone missing only to turn up someplace I would never keep them. I am certain my youngest would never do anything he thought would cause me harm, but I know how persuasive his Dad can be if he wants something. It would even probably sound to my youngest, as though his Dad was trying to help me. Right. I really can't be certain, but I also really have no defense. I am away from home for at least 12 hours per day and there is no way I can stop his Dad from asking for records or even from entering the house when I'm not around. Frustrating.
I spent some time tonight just going through some of my old posts about some of the odd things that have happened during the assignment at this company and my supervisor's response to how I handled them. Remember the beginning of September when I found some cases of booze under the stairs I was climbing for exercise at lunch. I called the building security and then the one admin person on our floor, when I wasn't happy with the building management's response. She directed me to send my report to the head of security then. Later that day, I received a voicemail from my supervisor's supervisor that was positive and she just let me know that she was handling it, because the head of security was away that day. The building owners went to considerable trouble to clean up their security practices and that lasts until this day. No one called me into the boardroom to rake me over the coals for not "going through the channels properly" or for causing so much inconvenience to everyone for the extra work they were required to do. I didn't even talk with my supervisor about it until the next morning then, partly because I don't think she was present most of that afternnon. In meetings or on conference calls. Not unlike the issue this week, but what a difference in responses. I don't understand it dear diary, do you?
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