23:55 - 21.06.06
Two Step
Happy Solstice - I think.
The first phone call of the morning was the landlord. "We have a long term renter for your space. Can we talk". Didn't sound much like a Joan Rivers lead-in either. He had left a voicemail which was a good thing, because, as you know dear diary, I have no approved hours with which to do any work with him. Emailed Ottawa with the news and asked for more time to do another search or negotiation or both. Response - you have to ask the local rep. Great. I can either do my job or play the hierarchy game. I had included the news story from the one source about the vacancy rate being .2% for prime commercial rental real estate in the city. That is not projected to change for another 3 or 4 years - unless of course there is one of those troughs in oil activity. Hard to predict. Sent all that forward to the local rep, with a mea culpa for not following the protocols, but then again it wasn't really my first concern. Talking freely with the landlord was. I called and left a voicemail for him at the end of the afternoon even though I still had no acknowledgement of receipt of my request. Rude to leave him hanging when all he is trying to do is help me, right?
Called one supplier next only to be told that they still had not been paid for last event. He had finally called this area's Member of Parliament's office for intervention. My finance officer and, later, I had sent all their invoices in from the beginning of their billing period and I have copies of those on my files. Apparently the people in finance in Ottawa said they had received nothing. Uh huh. Sounds familiar doesn't it dear diary.
Next up received a cold call from someone "who knows someone" about the one tech position I am required to fill immediately. I took a look at their resume. They would fit nicely elsewhere in the workflow, but they don't have the skill sets necessary to step into the position I need to fill now. It isn't one where I can risk having someone unknown to me learning on the job. So much of our office is automated that a bad hiring call on my part could cripple the entire office during an electoral event. I'm really hoping one of my young tech wizards from last event will be able to fill in the gap left by my last tech. The problem isn't so much their unwillingness as it is tracking them down to ask. Takes more time you see.
Do I need to worry? Depends what news articles one read. These stories about the environmental issues seems to indicate that the autumn might offer some "interesting times".
I got one of those "you've got mail" notices from a school reunion type bulletin board. The problem with retrieving that message is that one is required to pay to join BEFORE one can see that email, even though it is addressed to you personally. Not working full time, I'm reluctant to buy anything other than essentials right now. That little message arrived on the weekend. Tonight a "seven day free trial" offer for said site arrived in my in-box. Decided I might as well see what was sent. Turned out to be a message from one fellow I went to high school with. Same grade, but in a school with a 2000 plus student body, I really only knew my small group of girlfriends from elementary and junior high. When I wasn't in class I competed/judged in gymnastics, took swimming lessons, worked in the library and on the school yearbook, as well as having several regular babysitting gigs and a part-time job at a downtown department store. I also read at least one full library book a night for interest (babysitting after the children's bedtimes you know) as well as doing studying, research and homework. When I wasn't busy with all that I hung out with my friends all of whom had similar schedules to mine, by the way. I was what was called a nerd, I guess, and I was an honours student too. Whatever. I think I should have taken courses in street smarts instead, but that's another story. He said he just wanted to say hello and find out how my life had been since graduating. Hmm well. One of the key questions that I learned while volunteering to help in family therapy sessions when my guys were small was "Why are you coming to these sessions now - what is changed or is different about today". Good question. Our high school reunion was 4 years ago, I think. Why contact me at this point in time. I did respond sort of, but I'm not certain what to think. My favorite astrologer in this week's horoscopes said not to take THE bait - "let it go". That could be this communique I suppose - or not. Maybe he's writing a book - "Where are they now?". Remember I also had the one agency call me last week with what appears to be a wonderful full-time permanent opportunity, but I haven't heard anything since sending in my resume. All along something hasn't felt right about that, only it seems to do more with the agency itself rather than the job being highlighted. At one point in our conversation it sounded as though she had started to tape my comments. If that makes any sense at all. I've held off sending in resumes to other postings as a result, but decided today that I can't sit and wait on what is a very flimsy promise to begin with. A lot of hiring going on right now and I need to be back in the workforce before I'm completely penniless. I know I have fees to be paid for my election work, but we've been over that story more than once, haven't we dear diary.
A call from my eldest son meant I needed to go pick up some supplies to help him out this afternoon. Met my youngest over at the Tim Hortons for a salad after his work day, because I needed his brawn to assist me in picking up those things. Arrived home about two hours later to find the door I had locked unlocked and the door slightly ajar. That's happened before as well, as I've noted in earlier posts. You know I check that the lock has caught before I leave dear diary - being more than a little bit paranoid. My youngest went to check if anything physical was missing, but I still think it is someone who just wants me to feel really uncomfortable living in this house. Given how rarely I leave it and how much less it is ever empty of humans, it has to be someone who lives where they can see when we come and go. The only good thing this time was that the cats didn't show the fear they had the last time the door had been jimmied. That time it took me a couple of hours to get the really frightened ones to come out of hiding. I just don't understand it. Anyway time for bed now. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
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