02:40 - 30.11.05
two step
We had no formal confirmation from Elections Canada this morning that the writ had been dropped for the election, so I went in to the warehouse. By noon I couldn't stand it anymore, so I called the headquarters thinking they could give me some kind of answer. "We don't know, and it might be a while" was the response I received. Great. Emailed my supervisor and the second in command giving the non-news as a courtesy. They need to be able to plan their staffing and work flows with or without me. Only fair, since I know what it is like to be on the other side of the fence wondering why staff isn't where they are scheduled to be. The one politician's secretary was giving out my home information again, so I had to call her to ask her to stop. Complete strangers showing up at my home is not something I want to deal with into the bargain. No one looking for work would show up at the head of an HR department staff member's home and expect that their request for employment would be heard. If they were fortunate, they wouldn't be charged with trespassing or harassment. I don't understand why this female thinks it is such a good joke to play each and every election we have had to work together. If some harm comes to my home or my family through her thoughtlessness, I am going to have to take more concrete steps to get her to stop. Obviously explaining my reasons for concern to her isn't registering. May be I should just turn around and hand out her home phone and address to each person she sends my way. Nope, not descending to her level, but it is tempting when one is sitting a couple of hours travel away from home, not knowing if some weirdo is going to be bothering my son and the cats. Grant you, I think those cats would take a round out of anyone they think was threatening them. In Asia they use cats to guard their temples not dogs. Cats are better hunters/stalkers, don't you know. Any hunter that I know up in this part of the world has always said they'd rather face a grizzly than a cougar. You see the cougar doesn't give any quarter and one usually doesn't even see them until after they've pounced.
Fielded calls from several of the service providers and the building manager today. The manager of the computer setup sounded like Bono, so it was fun just taking his calls to hear that voice. Hmm. He was a bit defensive about the timing of his team's service, but I really don't worry about that too much. So far, in all the elections I've administered, this is the quickest and easiest - touch wood - start up I've had. The security specialist called me several times as well. He's decided he likes me because of a shared heritage. Intracultural jokes. I'll take any humour I can get right now.
The two hours from home thing. Well yes. It snowed some more today, making the roads very slippery. Sheet ice and black ice both, with drivers who still haven't got their snow tires installed on their vehicles. Really, the penultimate day of November and they are still putting it off. I left work just before 4 pm, but let the first bus go by. You see, it was really packed and there were several workmen waiting with me. Oddly enough, even though they do heavy physical labour all day, the industrial area males are very oldfashioned when it comes to being respectful of women. They will not take an empty seat if a female is standing, even though it is obvious they are exhausted. A couple of the ones who usually travel with me make a point of finding me space to sit and they are very protective too. On the downtown route, it's every man - and woman - for themselves, with no quarter given or taken. As I've mentioned before, the bus drivers on the industrial routes also look out for their regulars, so it is a very pleasant commute even if overly long. That being said, I was afraid one or two of the men might not get on the bus if I went first with boarding. I waited to be certain that they all got on and it was packed back to the door. Usually at rush hour the busses run every 10 to 15 minutes, so I didn't think waiting would be a big deal. It is quite cold - getting toward that -17C/0 F range - but out of the wind in the bus shelter that isn't all that uncomfortable with several layers of clothes on. Today the next bus didn't arrive until 40 minute later. Traffic was backed up for miles you see. Guess that's better than the highway being littered with smashed cars and bodies, but still.
The good thing was that as I was waiting, I was joined by four other women. Some day I feel as though I'm the only female who works out in the area, so it was nice to see other faces of the same gender. Two of the women are new workers in the warehouse. One is from El Salvador and the other from India. First winter in Canada. The other woman who was talking with us was born and raised in Winnipeg - known as Winter-peg to the rest of Canadians. The one young woman was bemoaning the "extreme" cold and asking us how better to dress for it. The woman from El Salvador was relating tales of her fearful encounters with ice on the streets of Toronto. That city is on the Great Lakes, so it ices up there even worse than anything we know. The other native born Canadian and I shared tips with them and told stories about our experiences with prairie winters, cautioning about the truly extreme cold that can cost one their life if they aren't properly prepared. The two newcomers were very apologetic about their lack of knowledge, but the two of us just allowed that we would find dealing with the extreme heat in their native countries even more of a challenge. What does one take off once one is already naked and dripping with sweat from the heat. Not a pretty picture is it dear diary. They reciprocated with tips and stories too. It passed the time and the other woman listened and laughed, even though she didn't contribute otherwise. Comfortable gathering of women - all we needed was hot chocolate "with marshmallows" insisted the new friend from El Salvador and it would have been Afternoon Tea.
Walked in my door two hours after signing out of the warehouse and that was even with being able to catch the feeder bus that takes me into my community from the bus stop one community away. That cut 20 minutes off my regular travel time - the usual walk time from the bus stop to my home. My youngest had just arrived home from picking up groceries. The cats were swarming the kibble bags while the phone rang incessantly. Took off the voicemail messages and started returning essential calls. Had a quick bite to eat then a nap.
Since then I've gone through memos and emails, and sent them out. Booked my polling sites and talked with more service providers. Called my tech specialist - the one with two contracts in the same industry I work in on the go already until Christmas. He'll make certain I'm looked after too. Grovelling works for me. Talked with my assistant and told her the news. Set up our strategy for working together tomorrow while working around all our other obligations. Sent emails to my supervisor and her second in command letting them know I won't be back this week, but would like to finish off the work I had in progress - basically just data entry to complete. Asked if they knew any reliable furniture rental places since I'm still at loggerheads with the one supplier I mentioned yesterday. Tough to run an office with 60 staff with no chairs or work space other than the floor and boxes. Doesn't look very professional either. Emailed other staff from previous events. I think I'm ready for bed now. Good night dear diary.
�
�
