Back to the Salt Mines

Yoo Hoo! I'm still here on Planet Bill, but I've been making daily trips to another galaxy. After three years of a job-free lifestyle I am now pulling on my grown-up pants and wearing shoes that require a shoehorn again each morning. Blogging has been a low priority, although I've been making an effort to visit your blogs. Even that has been haphazard, I'm afraid, and I haven't always had time to leave a comment. Soon, though, the transition will be complete, and I'll settle into a daily routine.

The job dropped out of the blue and into my lap. I was sitting here in my home one morning, minding my own business and probably visiting your website, when my phone rang. The local office manager of a worldwide service organization was leaving her position, and had recommended me for her job. The fellow calling me, the chairman of the steering committee, wanted to know if I would be interested in the job. This seemed like one of those God Moments I've heard people talk about, so I bowed to the Greater Reason and went to an interview a few days later.

I worked closely with the departing manager through yesterday, and there's been a lot to learn. So far, so good. Here are just a few of the things I like about the job:

• it's in a climate-controlled environment


• I work with people all day, in person and on the phone, but I work alone


• there are a lot of balls to juggle, so the work is interesting


• there's candy


• I get to order lots of fun stuff


• there's a 24-hour crisis hotline


• the region, ranging from urban to rural, is large


• I get to dispense a lot of hope and encouragement


• I have a lot of responsibility


• I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to help others

Thanks to the efforts my HP and I have been putting out over the past year, I am able to handle stress much better these days. This calmness and detachment came in handy today when I was ready to lock up and leave. The second telephone line went verplunkt, and I was able to contact the repair service and get the crisis hotline transferred to another number without getting agitated. There's a temporary fix in place, and the phone company will solve the problem tomorrow morning. And since I sat on Ma Bell's knee at one time, I know the magic words to use tomorrow morning if the situation has not been resolved: I'm filing a complaint with the State Corporation Commission. Those are the magic words when you are at odds with the phone company in Virginia.

The office is on an upper floor in a large office building. The state rents a great deal of space for its department of Taxation, and one floor is leased to a large law firm. There also a Hispanic radio station that broadcasts from the building. Who knows what other enterprises operate from this structure? I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Yesterday when I approached the elevators to leave, there was a tiny, thin woman waiting for an elevator. We shared it on the way down. As we exited toward the parking lot, I noticed that this woman needed a shave. It was a weensy man with a unisex hairdo. If a celebrity, his picture might appear on this site. He headed toward a motor scooter parked next to the building.

The telephone problems this evening were foreshadowed by various technical calamities throughout the day, including a facsimile machine that continuously jammed. I had an urgent fax to send, so I dropped in on the law firm next door to my office. There was the miniature man/woman. His name is Paul, and he is a very nice fellow. He cheerfully allowed me to use his fax machine, and I complimented his scooter. He beamed, and told me he's only had it a couple of months. It gets one hundred miles per gallon. Paul is my new hero.

That's what I've been doing lately. How about you? In other blogger news, Our Girl in Amsterdam became engaged on her birthday last weekend. She and her betrothed are planning an Autumn Wedding in New England.

Speaking of birthdays, Someone Very Special will celebrate a birthday this Sunday, so mark your calendars and drop by his place for some cake and ice cream on the 29th.

I hope to post again soon. I have something in mind already. Think Murphy Bed.