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23:55 - 05.12.05
detente
Well, the day started out well. A call first thing from the lead tech for the suite of computers. They had found one of the missing hard drives. Not one of the ones that had been meant for my office, but one meant for somewhere else. Doesn't matter to me as long as we can get into the databases we need to to get our work done. The inability to make any forward progress is frustrating me and even moreso my staff, I know that what is happening is the "norm" and I've just learned to deal with it. Not always graciously mind you but I'll still always try to produce the best reults possible with whatever reources come to hand.

I spoke with the rep we have dealt with for years from the Post Office. She has always been one of the brightest lights in my world during elections because of her matter of fact attitude and her sense of humour. Today when I spoke with her she was really feeling the stress and we are only a week into the event. She's caught between ulegislation that can't be changed because parliament has been dissolved, union contracts that don't allow any flexibility in scheduling or hiring, and schedules for her workers that time even the amount of time they have to wash their hands for lunch - 2 minutes tops.

I told my staff today that I would consider it a success if we do two things. The one I am certain of is opening all the polls fully staffed on election day so that people can vote if they choose. The second indicator for me will be if we are still all talking to each other at the end of the event and can still pull together as a team. I know that a lot of that is my responsibility but living in each other's back pockets every day 12 to 16 hours most days for two full months is likely to be a big a test of tolerance and patience for each and every person there. A lot to ask I think.

Th cleaners arrived as we opened the doors. They worked in to the early afternoon finishing their huge task. Today was the first day I hadn't needed my inhaler at all. It was the longest we had spent on site too. Some of the newly arrived staff were complaining about the smell and the terrible state of the carpets, but they were 100% better than what we had started with. One wanted to rip out some material that was offending them but no landlord is likely to invest in new carpeting for a tenant that is only going to be there for two months. They did agree to pay their half for the cleaning and also to repair some damaged doors from the last tenant. That's a big cost right there. Even Elections Canada hasn't approved their share of the costs. If they turn it down then I am on the hook for the full amount. I can't afford to buy new carpet for the landlord in addition to that.

Today was spent bringing on the next layer of staff. Key players providing the essential services we need to offer to the public and to new workers. Cross training is one of my major pushes this election because it falls across one of the two most significant holiday seasons in a Canadian calendar. That is proving a bit of a challenge for some people but others are seeing the opportunity to expand well beyond their current skill levels. That is the type of person I really need right now. There are some of the really good workers I have right now who are very clear they want low stress tasks and I appreciate their onesty. They may not set the world on fire but their stabilit and commitment to just the work they have chosen might be the anchor the rest of us need to not spin too far out in the stratosphere. The pressure to produce under chaotic and nebulous conditions is quite the test of any person and we have to try and do it as a team. There is one staff who demonstrated incredible potential the last election so I put them in a much more demanding position. They were really overwhelmed with the what they perceived as the size of their task but it is only one of a dozen pieces of the puzzle that I have to ensure is completed. I have to learn to remember what it would seem from their perspective without giving away the ability to direct and keep the work of the whole on course. It's a bit like trying to explain to someone who is about to give birth for the first time what labour and delivery is like. One needs to be honest and give enough information to provide coping techniques without scaring or overwhelming smeone with details. Tough balancing act. Labour and delivery of a baby usually only last a day or two for most women but this is a whole two months. We'll just have to roll with whatever punches there are. I have created "escape routes" for a couple of people who may not feel ready to take on the bigger challenges I know that they are capable of performing - the right motivation has to be there and I may not be able to supply it this time. We'll see.

Some of our parcels appear to be caught in transit as the RCMP is receiving their material. One package has ended up at their new digs three times now - could we come and claim it? Their staff had called one of the other tenants that they had a relationship with trying to ensure we knew about it. WE gained an additional polling day worker when she signed up on the spot. Bonus. The letter carrier delivered our preliminary list of electors today so I tracked down our printer and asked for theri services again. No problem we'll get it done asap. The furniture delivery was more problematic. My assistant must have made 2 dozen calls before finding a company both willing and able to provide a truck big enough to bring in our first bit of furniture. Tables and chairs arrived around 6 pm. At least now we can sit down once in a while. I was so tired around supper that I was sprawled out on the floor in front of my computer trying to print off all the material that I couldn't get at from lack of a home printer and no server in the office. Terribly ladylike, eh? My son made certain after that that I got a table and he set my workstation up so I could be a bit more dignified. Given it was one of those days when I couldn't get away from the constant line of questioners long enough to get in the bathroom when I really needed to take a bio break dignity was the last thing on my mind. I finally snuck down to the deli late in the day and just sat at the oe table looking through a resort magazine. Thinking that if I make it through the next two months that one way or another I am going to take a couple of weeks to just sit quietly near mother nature all by my lonesome with maybe my youngest for company. Have to find someone who loves cats before then though. Can't leave the poor things to their own devies can we. They were all crowded at the top of the stairs when we arrived home tonight looking quite anxious. Where had we been and had we brought food. Couldn't explain the first but the second was answered with a couple of bags of kibble as reward for their patience.

I had meant to go into the downtown office today to finish off the last of the data entry I had but I knew that wasn't possible today given all the glitches. I doubt that the next couple of days are going to work any better either. The next round of recruitment is well underway and it appears a chinook is on for over the weekend. If we can get enough enumerators trained then we can do a blitz of homes in the most worrisome new growth areas after all.I'm not sending anyone out in the deep freeze we call weather at the moment. Better go prepare for another day of no bio breaks and endless questions and tasks to complete. Good night dear diary.

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