ocg's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Last Days at the Evil I and other musings The Last Days at the Evil I and other musings [It’s Wednesday night, and I am not posting this until Thursday morning, just for chronological edification.] Well, I am writing this installment on my new/used laptop computer. Don’t ask me for the specs, because whilst I am quite proficient in the applications that Microsoft has inundated the world with, when it comes to the computer technicalities, my mouth drops open and a distinct, “abba-da abba-da abba-da” sound emits from my mouth. Although the fact that I now have a laptop may not be exciting in and of its self, the fact that it was completely and utterly free of charge makes it a little more rockin’. The Evil I was able to provide me with at least one thing that I can look back fondly on. Well, I guess that my home desktop PC’s monitor is from the Evil I as well, so there’s another thing. My last day there is (finally) officially this Friday. It’s sort of surreal in a way, because I have dreamed of this for so long, having actually made it to my ‘last day’ in December of last year and being offered a position that kept me there, makes it not quite sink in. I am dead-set this time, though. I’m done. I remember when I first started working there, how vital the office seemed- I mean, here’s an office that about 150-200 people showed up to daily to spend their lives (that’s a big thing with me- you don’t like your job? Well then get another one, because you are CHOOSING to spend your time there. You are making the decision that you need money enough to be miserable and unwilling to make the effort to improve your situation. Downsize your life and find a job you are passionate about, or shut up. Then again… if you HAVE to work to support yourself as well as your partner, suck it up and hold to your commitments. * sigh *. Farkin’ paradoxes.) Anyway, there was an almost tangible vibe that we were actually doing something , and that the work was, although not assuaging the desire to make a “difference in the world”, at least something to be proud of. Then, there were the lay-offs. The ‘centralization’ of “Customer Care” in Arizona (uh, what’s Customer Care? What a joke this has turned out to be). I think the last year could be summed up for the Evil I with a very Springer-esque headline of, “When Good Business Goes Bad”. Cliché, I know, but unequivocally fitting. Then the jumping from one department to another to save my ass, because I promised the boy I would get him through Nursing School. Hindsight is 20/20, I suppose. I did meet some amazingly fantastic people on this journey, however, like Lori P., the best damn supervisor, desk partner, and friend that anyone could ever ask for. She rules, and I have missed her daily. I will also miss the ladies that I have had the pleasure to work with for the past year of the three I have sacrificed at the Evil I… Veronica (RoRo), who has decided that leaving me voicemails of country music is the way she is going to have me remember her; Kelley (KiKi), who has already jumped ship; Kris (Half-Pint), laid off after transferring departments to keep from being laid off like me, but who is now being a bon bon wife (not really, but I like the phrase); and my little Sugarloaf, or Shoog, Sarah. An amazing person, period. Oh, and Soniarita, who has been incredibly patient with my immodest bodily functions during my short tenure as her panel partner. I wish that I could have shared more of the ‘real’ me with these ladies, because they are all phenomenal women in their unique respects, and I think that a couple of them, had it not been a work situation, would have become close friends had I met them outside the workplace. I think, however, that I have made my overall contribution to their lives in laughter, and hope they will remember me with a smile- because that’s all you can really ask of people that you spend almost more time with than your mate. Yes, in two short days, I will be given addresses, phone numbers, and emails, all riddled with grand designs to ‘drop by sometimes’ and the best of intentions to really keep in touch. I know the routine. I know that doesn’t happen. I know that if I keep in touch with even one of these powerful, fantastic women, that feat will be beating the odds. And really, that’s what makes leaving difficult. I don’t want to say I hate the job, but I will say that it is just as much a part of anyone’s happiness that you like those that you work with as much as liking the duties you perform each day. In fact, that’s really what it’s all about, right? The people that you touch and that touch your life? And to that end, just remember, “It’s all just copiers and paper, man. It’s just copiers and paper.” 08:26 - 07-31-03 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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