23:26 - 07.02.06
wrap up
My youngest picked up the first season of the Muppet Show. That has been our entertainment for the past week. It was written as much for adults, with some very sophisticated double entendre that children wouldn't have caught most times. My youngest doesn't have very strong recollections of a lot of the material, but he still finds it really funny. Then again he finds Saturday Night Live and Monty Python material funny, so what am I thinking. I love Animal - maybe because it is the way a two year old behaves and that is one of my favorite age groups. Unfiltered response to stimuli. It's also likely because I don't have to deal with it right?
The last couple of days have been half days at work. The IBM team were in the office yesterday packing up their materials. I asked and was told that they too have been told just to kep the material in their warehouses - no point sending it back to Ottawa when the theme seems to be that it will just be returned shortly. Today Canada Post came and picked up those 30 boxes of electronics. In between I was trying to pack up my office, arrange appointments with other service providers and prepare the next batch of material for mailing. The technical tapes and financial documents are next to go. Our lease is done on the 13th of February so there is no time left to play with. As well as the IBM folks there was the young gentleman from one of the other returning offices who stopped by to pick up our recycling - just the cardboard minc. Filled his truck completely. He is planning to leave for six months in Europe on the weekend and just wanted topick up as much extra cash as he could. The telephone rep from one of the two companies that shared our service requirements came by in the morning too. We talked for about an hour about things metaphysical and the journeys we had taken as a result. The topic came up when I was telling him the story about our in office ghost poking me in the back. From there we discussed near death experiences - we've both had them - and the lessons that were presented for us to learn after those times. Along with my assistant tech I have spent more time sharing some of the material and reference points (people and books) that helped me find a way through the challenges. Both seem to be at a stage where that material would be helpful to them too. In return they shared some of the information that had helped them. For the past year I've been wondering when the next turn in the spiral would come. Guess it's now and I can't wait to step on the next path.
My Dad and one of my sisters came by yesterday to take me out for lunch but that didn't work out very well. Reason being the IBM staff were still there and my schedule was driven by theirs. A call in the middle of lunch looking for the key to the server took up about half that time and then I had to be back at the office to sign off on all the paperwork for the beasts. " Can't someone else do it?" was their plaint. No, it is one of my responsibilities. It is hard when people see your work as not important or of less importance than their wants. Why is it when my sister's husband's or my dad's business interests are demanding of them they feel that the rest of the world can wait, but that mine are less so. I am supposed to meet the local rep about the operation of my office on Friday and that should create another bit of frustration. Apparently she told one of the other Returning Officers that he didn't deal well with stress. Fortunately for him some of his staff, who were present, tore into her as they pointed out all the conditions he was dealing with, but I don't expect that I will be allowed or given the same defense. She complained about the lack of communication with me but failed to respond to several of my most critical emails about things like my budget. I didn't even have time for my family for the whole of the event, so her demanding social time with me isn't something that should even be on the table. The only people I want to communicate with during an event are those who can be effective in helping me or who I can be effective in helping - other Returning Officers for example. Having someone else in there meddling isn't useful.
I'm already getting phone calls from head office demanding immediate action on calls from polling day staff. One fellow claimed he worked that day when I knew he hadn't. He wanted "his money" now and the young thing who called was trying to insist I send all the extra paperwork in for him so he could get paid. I had to really be insistent that I wasn't going to authorize anything until I had researched his claim and verified the circumstances. He called our offices at 6:10 am on the morning of the election claiming he was too sick to work. We replaced him because it is required by the law. He isn't going to be approved for anything and will be lucky if he is even considered for next event. Lying about what one has done doesn't sit too well with me.
I did talk with or see several staff members today - the core group to try and tie up more loose ends. Popped into the mall after I had finished with my financial officer - more bills to pay you see. She was heading back that way to get to her other job and agreed to drop me off. During the election I think every bit of clothing I had fell apart. Safety pins were the norm but really don't work that well on shoes or underwear. I don't own a sewing machine but needle and thread just wasn't something I had time for during the event. I guess I need to reacquaint myself with them though. I bought a new travelling bag since it fell apart too, along with new unmentionables and a pair of runners. Decided to walk home to break the runners in and was really disturbed to realize how much muscle strength I've lost in two months. One of the reasons I like taking busses and the train to work is that it forces me to get a fair amount of walking and stair climbing in each day. Two months of door to door driving has made me soft. Add in that those new runners have arch supports and the walk home was probably more entertaining to observe than actually do. I overbalanced a lot trying to get used to the contoured soles and the longer toe on the new pair. My assistant drove by me when I was about 2/3 of the way home and I gratefully accepted a lift for the balance of the distance. Told my youngest though that the two of us were going to go out walking daily from now on - no excuses. Starting tomorrow. We'll see.
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