i’ve been in the meat locker, my “office”, for 12 and half hours. i’ve worked half of my regular work week in two days. and all that shit in 4 inch black patent leather heels and a smile. well, i got fussy for about half an hour when an hour’s worth of work got cut from the final project. my consternation was not easy to hide at that point. but then i felt bad for verbally expressing my frustration to my immediate superior. not because i’m wishy-washy but because i know that much of the mood around here depends on my ability to stay chilled. and i’m not just being egocentric.
i’m still traumatized from the woman that was here when i started in sept. ‘06. for my first 2 months on the job, i thought my place of employment was a frigid and barren wasteland and my perceptions of those around me were desperately skewed by her narrow lense. but they day after she left, without even 8 hours notice, from her wake emerged some of the coolest people i’ve ever met. it was like everyone around here suddenly had license to be themselves and it created a place that i now consider a second home.
the admin that came after was totally chilled and it made a huge difference. the ripple effect. i carefully observed our environment for months and learned the personalities and dynamics of our department at a distance. and now that the admin has moved on and i have taken her place, i know importance of a relaxed office manager. so these days, i’m training 3 people and myself, shoveling data and paper off of the walkway constantly. and it’s a beautiful mess of information and a fountain of learning curves.
and yay, i finally got approval, after weeks of nudging, to attend a 2-day conference for first-time supervisors. my annoying persistence occasionally pays off.
what’s a career gal to do?
