Light at the End of the Week's Tunnel...

Training Day 3: Now that most of the information thrown at us has been digested, things are getting easier. I actually left in good spirits today without that dread of going back. Sure, there isn't any health care or special favors coming out of it, but it's employment. Flexible schedule too. Since everything is going smoothly, I'll be starting my assignments on Friday.

I was worried how Friday was going to work out. I have plans in the evening, so there's a lot to try to accomplish in one day. And being the late bloomer I am, a few birthday presents are scheduled to arrive that day. At least now I know I'll have time to wrap them! I always worry about getting something someone already has, but I hope that my unique eye avoids any duplicates. If not, well... I gave it my best.

Because of Friday's schedule, I'm thinking I won't quite reach 40 hours for the week. But I'll try to get as close as possible. This month is a bit of a nightmare with schedule overlaps, but I'll be getting full paychecks probably next month, if all goes well. Then, they're talking about assignments during the summer and into the fall. It might not be regular work each week, but it'll be a heck of a lot better than being an unemployable non-ape.

For now, I'll just be happy for what I can get. After all, it means that come autumn, that vacation I've been talking about taking should be a sure thing. After so many years without a break from Ohio, I sure could use the travel time.

Workin' Nine to Five...

What a way to make a living...

So, training is a bit more intensive than I expected! I guess this means I won't be getting much blogging done this week. Hopefully I'll have enough time to squeeze out a post or two in the next couple of days. Between the technical difficulties and "speed learning" (cramming our brains full of more information than a normal human can process in a few hours), I don't have much time to think this week. All I can say is my cutoff time Friday is 5:00PM no matter what. There better not be homework that day (yes, they actually call it that).

There's a big difference between working to live and living to work. I prefer the former. Yesterday, I wasn't officially done with "work" until 10:30PM. After being sent all around the region all morning, it made for a long day. But on the bright side, I have a newfound appreciation for the term "going postal". Is it the intent of every federal job to drive you insane?

I Haven't Got Time for the Pain...

Bah, scheduling conflicts. I hate them. Everything wants to happen at the same time! I go through periods where nothing is on my slate, then everything wants to happen on the same day! Life would be so much easier if things were spread out, but that's just not how real life works!

This coming week, I was supposed to have jury duty. Then, the Census bureau called to say training is the same week. Luckily, some people are more lax about rescheduling, so jury duty has been postponed for one week. Sorry, Perry Mason. Of course, that means my next three weeks are busy, busy, busy! Leave it to fate to make my birthday month the busiest one of the year.

I'm still fitting in a trip to Dayton afterward, and I have some small things to fit into the schedule here and there. But, sheesh... mass chaos! I shouldn't complain, though. I asked for it by wanting to be busier. I'll gladly be too busy than bored to tears. Let's just hope nothing else decides to pop up and add to the chaos. When it rains, it pours...

Not Easy Being Green...

Another weekend survived. Dodging strange people and the mentally ill, I relaxed with a few friends Saturday night. And yes, I had some well-deserved margaritas, thank you very much. Is that a crime, I ask? And no, I wasn't sick as a dog the following day. Exhausted, yes. Under the weather? No. Just a bit sore from climbing stairs, cleaning like a madman, and dodging debris.

As always, I'm behind with many things. I have editing to tackle, blogs to catch up on, a disaster I call my desk begging to be uncovered, and plenty of my own writing and research to pounce upon. One thing I've learned in life is that there are two possible modes: complete utter boredom and overwhelming chaos. We shift between the two. And now, my life is headed toward the latter.

I'm quite good at jinxing myself, so I'll keep tight-lipped about some things until I feel safe tossing everything out there for the universe to listen. I will say that things are going splendidly. I am making headway in more ways than one. But this week, I have plenty of things to tackle. Emails to send and await replies. Voraciously reading, rereading, and revising written work. Piles of notes to sift through, write legibly, and add to. And that pesky pattern for a stuffed animal to create.

December needs to slow down a smidge.

So forgive me if my posts are erratic. It will all be explained in due time, but for now I'll use the excuse of pre-holiday insanity. Time is not on my side and Norman Meade should be shot for suggesting anything of the sort. As we count down the final weeks of 2008, this year certainly is heading for a bang.

Making It Count...

This morning, I decided to take a chance and apply for the 2010 US Census slated for this coming summer. They were having the test and application process at my local library, so I really had no convenient excuse.

There were only four people in attendance, including me, so everything went by quickly and smoothly. The exam, just shy of 30 multiple-choice questions, was graded at the end so we were given instant results. I had the highest score: 100%. The instructor was a bit shocked, since he hadn't graded a perfect exam in a very long time. This includes a 17-year-old high school student who missed one recently.

So yes... I'm smarter than a high school student. Which, given the state of our educational system, doesn't say much.

Now, it's back to the waiting game to see if I'm selected. Considering the number of census records I've researched over the years, I think I could handle the work and have a decent grasp of the data collected. Plus, it's a government job... which would look quite favorable on my resume. I'm not too concerned about the background check, but we shall see what they say.

It's another opportunity to be a part of history. Every little bit counts!

Unskilled Labors...

Insult has been added to injury for me this week. I have been once more turned down for work. The required job components? Excellent research abilities, writing fluently, and good typing skills.

Oh, the irony of it all...

Some weeks really are better than others. Sometimes, it feels like the universe just wants to bitchslap you so hard that you fall backward and are knocked unconscious. But hey, that could just be my high stress level talking.

Otherwise, it's been a hot, muggy, and moody week for me. A little something positive would be nice right now. Still, I remain optimistic as often as possible. Optimism is often the only driving force we have left.

I did get out to enjoy the peaceful serenity of a berry farm this week, picking blueberries in a field where the warm, breezy atmosphere was interrupted but once by the incessant twitter of a mobile phone. For a while, I longed for the simplicity and plainness of the pioneer era. We often make our lives more difficult than they're supposed to be. Keeping up with the Joneses and grabbing for the latest in high-tech, low-imagination gadgetry.

We often think of those early settlers as being backward and dim-witted, but I can't shake the thought that they had more brains than we do. They could handle basic life without a microwave or plasma screen television. Reading and creative storytelling were actual forms of entertainment. There was no need to panic over an energy crisis or fuel consumption, since horses and the hay they eat are both renewable resources. It might have taken two years to build a house, but in 50 years you knew it would still be standing.

My friend Chris mentioned a few times he has always felt he was born in the wrong time. Perhaps I share that vision, though my proper decade predates his by miles. I really adore the works of Mark Twain, as well as his wit and humor, and there are those moments when I wish I could fall asleep beneath a tree and wake up back then, as a slight variation of his A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

Perhaps it's why I feel a sudden nostalgia for classic American literature. Twain. Bierce. Hawthorne. Irving. Poe. Some of the best, brightest, and warped minds of a forgotten age.

It's Human Nature...

Ann King, staff supervisor of the Denver Parks & Recreation Department, fired three employees and suspended a fourth on what officer Bruce Plotkin called unreasonable grounds. Allegedly, there were "significant errors" in payroll. The workers were ill-trained and overloaded with work.

King, on the other hand, found the time to operate a psychic business on the side. The city authorized King to operate her own small business during her time off of work.

Perhaps she should have offered them a free psychic consultation beforehand... "I see a career change in your immediate future..."

The hearing officer ordered the employees to be given back their jobs. The mystical sideline has been halted voluntarily by King to better concentrate on her duties. The city remains convinced that King was justified in her actions.

And King's hypnosis business still lingers on in Texas. I guess residuals aren't considered a business...