23:42 - 17.05.06
work - able
It was hotter today as forecast. I think I heard one weather person say 32C/90 F. Even trying to cool down by soaking my hair - it being waist-length and quite thick - hasn't been all that helpful. Normally it takes a few hours to dry, providing a natural form of air conditioning. Tonight the effect lasted an hour; then my hair was bone dry again. Oi. I also tried watering the lawn all around the house tonight thinking that might help a bit too. What it did do was elevate my son's temper instead. You see, as he was moving the sprinkler he noticed that someone had thrown rocks at our house again. The stucco near the porchlight had gouts of material knocked out and there was a pile of rocks and debris on the balcony below. It is likely that someone does not like the fact that the lights are on around the house at night, but that is too bad. Given the problems we've encountered, it is one cost effective safety device. It might not seem like that much to other people, but added in to the almost daily property damage that has already occurred and it is really taking it's toll. I had to restrain him verbally, because he was threatening to go talk to the neighbours about their behaviour. Now in all likelihood it is coming from them, based on the angle of the impact and the lack of access to that area from anywhere else outside the property. That said, one has to have more than just suspicions to make an accusation. We could be wrong. Besides that my youngest - even at 18 - is one very big fellow. Even though he is very easy going and good natured, he could look scary if he was angry and one didn't know him well. To go to someone's door looking that way could be interpreted as threatening. Given the neighbours' behaviour previously, they could turn around and accuse him of causing trouble. Besides that, vandalism is a police issue not a civic one. I had my one-shot camera out again and took pictures of the damage to the wall and also of the three really big holes that the neighbours pets - or something - have dug at strategic places along the fence line. Also later in the evening someone tore the sprinkler out of the ground - the stake for it is about 18" long - and left it lying, still active, on the ground so I took a photo of that too. I don't know what their problem is other than just plain meanness, but it is getting worrisome. My friend the gardener had some suggestions when we met a week ago and I think I'll be implementing them this long weekend.
First thing this morning I received a call from my contact in Ottawa. The one who wanted the detailed breakdown of how I spent the extra time to ensure the election office was rented on time. She had taken forward the request for the extra hours and was told no. It wasn't that her supervisor didn't believe her, it was because I hadn't followed procedure to the nth degree. Almost, but not for all the hours claimed. The ones on the Friday of the deadline were at issue. Now remember we are sometimes docked pay if we fail to meet deadlines so I did what I had to, especially with the local rep adding to the pressure, and sent in the request on that day. Not good enough. I should have sent it the day before. Whatever. The Ottawa liason was very distressed about it and had been afraid to tell me I think. Not her fault and no surprise to me. She felt so bad that I chatted with her about other things until she seemed a little less upset. The length of time most staff last in that department averages about a year and I believe this is one of the reasons. Very nice, conscientious people are hired, but their very natures are damaged by the atmosphere and procedures they are required to undertake.
Next up had a call from the one person taking over for the finance person looking after wage issues. What about that one person who still was insisting that they had not been able to work on polling day due to an emergency yet wanted their training fee? She had sent in a letter and a boarding pass by fax to bolster her claim, but I had never been provided with a copy. I still find it difficult to believe that a trip to a tropical resort five days before the event to deal with an emergency is a valid story, but stranger things have happened - right? However, having just been denied a day's wages myself based on a procedural technicality I decided not to treat someone else the same way as I had been. After all, if that person is still really upset about it this long after the fact and it is such a small amount of money, then what other reason would there be for their persistence.
In the process of making that decision, I shared that information with my recruiter. Because she had been mentioned in the letter a couple of times, I wanted her version of what had happened too. She said she thought she would remember a story like that if it had been told to her, but she didn't remember that conversation. Hmmm. She digressed at that point and started asking labour law questions. One of her children was ordered to cut short their holiday to return to the city, because their employer was short-staffed. The whole family returned as a result. Two days later that child was told they were being fired for something another employee had done inappropriately some time ago. Was that other employee let go? No. But the employer was already negotiating with someone else to take this person's place. Apprently the whole staff has said they would resign rather than accept the new person's supervision - apparently she is well known to them. You can probably read between the lines there, right dear diary. The odd thing was that she asked me what I had done when I had experienced that one wrongful dismissal about seven year ago. I don't ever recall discussing that with any of my staff. I just told her about going to get the letter from the lawyer and the decision being reversed immediately. I also suggested that she go to the provincial labour board, because her severance pay was being withheld. Not legal regardless. I guess I just don't like personal questions, having seen how that kind of information can get twisted out of shape into entirely different stories down the road in a work environment. Add in the intense questioning I got from the one Returning Office who hasn't found an office yet yesterday about my marital and dating status - what status? - and it makes me uneasy altogether. Oh well just old paranoia, but with reasonable roots. Something it took me a long time to understand when I first went back to work and wanted to get to know my co-workers. But then again, I think about the lady who sat with me at that workshop a few weeks back and the other side of the coin emerges. "On the other hand" as Tevye would say. Fiddler on the Roof.
Finished off those conversations and the phone rang again. Remember I told you I had sent out a test resume a couple of days ago? Well it was the agency that was doing the search. That position was filled, but there was another one that they had and wanted me to consider. Hmmmm. Bait and switch, I think. Contract for data entry - which would be fine - but a Friday to Monday shift, 7 hours a day at half the lowest wage I generally make. Was this something I could do from home? Then I might consider it, because of the extra time I would recoup in not travelling. The lower expenses for not having to travel or all the other expenses related to out of home employment might be a compensation then. No not an option. I explained that I was looking for less stress in my next contrac,t but this didn't really feel like the right fit. "Could they keep my resume on file anyway". Sure, but I don't think they'll call again. Something just didn't sit right through the discussion, that's all. Then two notices in my mailbox. Two parcels from head office at Elections Canada waiting for pick up at the post office. When the distressed liaison had signed off with me, she had said she would likely be talking with me again soon. I hadn't really absorbed her comments then, but I'm guessing that it is another assignment from them. Fair enough, but I guess I won't be meeting deadlines until extra hours are approved anymore. I know - be thankful I have work, right? The odd thing I'm finding is that when people ask me what I'm doing right now and I tell them about the election assignments, I am getting a blast of anger back from the questioners regardless of who they are. The recruiter, my family or friends. It isn't as though I am advocating another election, because the expense is so high, but I have a job to do just like they do. If one doesn't want to know the answer, don't ask the question. The other work search I did was with the one casting agency. There is a big labour dispute in that industry in Eastern Canada and I suspect that a fair amount of paralysis is affecting the industry across the whole country as a result. I'm not expecting much on that end but one never knows.
Anyway time for bed. Tomorrow is supposed to be a teeny bit cooler so maybe I can actually get some real sleep - in a day or two. Good night dear diary.
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