One for the Annals

Take note, Tacitus.

I woke up this morning thinking it was just another day. Hah.

I think I've mentioned before I'm a temporary employee at the moment. Currently working on a part-time assignment (and loving the hours!) at a condominium. Answering phones, emails, giving out parking passes, and the like. Not the most intellectually or mentally stimulating job ever. In fact, I'd place it near the top of the list of Un-Fun Jobs. However, it means a paycheck every week.

I'm filling in for the manager, who's on leave. With a small staff of two, this leaves me in charge, and the building engineer. Fine. He's helpful, and so far I haven't made many mistakes.

Add a long-standing argument between the absent manager and the present engineer, and I end up in the middle. Hello, awkward and uncomfortable! Good seeing you.

Throw into the mix a righteous headache, and you've got all the ingredients for a Bad Day.

So I called the temp company (my real, direct employer) to get some advice, sorted the problem, and marched off to the nearest 7-11 to buy some Excedrin. Where someone lets me in front of him in line, and the cashier mentions that I don't look good. As I take my money and turn to leave, he tells me he hopes I feel better.

How's that for an invitation to go home? Only, I have to stay an extra hour and a half this afternoon. I'd grimace, but that would hurt my head.

Staying on the Happy Side

I'm concentrating on Positive Thinking today. So I'm not going to mention the very Rude, indignant man who called this morning to ask about Flooring. Nor am I going to mention the virtual Peering-Over-My-Shoulder my supervisor is doing. I'm certainly not going to mention the Unpleasant Surprise I had this morning, or the fact that I've Lost my Sunglasses, apparently Permanently.

No, instead of discussing Unfortunate Happenings, I'm going to concentrate on the Happy Side of Life. Such as, working where I do now, in downtown Ballston, I have the opportunity to eat at the little Italian Food Cart Pupatella, which makes Excellent Neapolitan Pizza (the Best) and includes Eye Candy. Yumm. I ate the Whole pie, and don't feel overstuffed.

While Inspecting the Building, I got Coffee and watched about 15 minutes of the Caps' Practice. This, too, is a Pleasant Result of working where I do.

Lastly, I met the cutest little Pug today, name of Yoda. About the only Nice Customer today.

Mess and Biscuits

Yesterday, for some unexpected and inexplicable reason, I started to crave biscuits while watching Big Fish (honestly, biscuits don't play even a bit part in the movie). Having made them before, I figured, piece of cake. Only something went wrong. After sliding them in the oven on my admittedly dodgy baking tray, which only as two raised edges, I sat down with a glass of wine and pressed play on the movie, which I planned to watch for the ten minutes of baking time. Before half that time passed, I heard crackling and buzzing coming from the oven. The butter (all that yummy melty butter) was dripping off the edge to the bottom of the oven! The gas oven, I might add, with the fire at the bottom? Familiar? So I slid my other baking tray underneath it, which stopped the fizzing, but not the smoking. Oh, that smoke and heat. I spent the next hour off and on, fanning my smoke detector with a messenger bag, oven mitt (not the best tool) and kitchen towel. Opened my windows, turned on the fans, and still sniffed a bit of smoke this morning. To top it all off, I ended up with too-crispy biscuits.

Surprise!

I suppose I should have been worrying about not having a job after today, for an unspecified (yet likely short) amount of time. In reality, I got a call this afternoon, and already there's a position available. No! I mean, Yay!

Right. Instead of wondering about when I'd earn my next paycheck, I was planning my two free workdays. Fate moves in mysterious ways. I'm sure if I'd been worrying, nothing would have become available. Since I'd put together a mental list of everything I wanted to get done tomorrow and Friday, I get an opportunity.

I might complain, but I'm not one to close the door on opportunity (does anyone remember the Mr. Opportunity commercials for Toyota? "And I'm knocking!").

Does this qualify for an example of irony? If it's when the exact opposite of what you're expecting to happen, happens, I would say yes.

So I'm off to work again bright and early tomorrow. Sigh.

Speaking of...

Speaking of ... Driving, I'll be glad to give it up. Someone once made fun of me by guessing that I drive like a li'l ole granny, given I don't own a car and (used to) walk and Metro most places. Not so. Not so, at all. Tell you a secret: sometimes I'm a bit careless. I won't go into details, but that's one reason I'll be happy to be a pedestrian again.

Speaking of ... Work (to which I drive every day), tomorrow is my last day! To cover living expenses, etc., I signed on with a temp agency when I quit my job (I know, the economy, yada yada). My first placement, which has lasted the past six weeks, is about to end. I should be sad, or at least ... not looking forward to it, right? Because I'll stop getting those handy paychecks. But, between you and me, I can't help but be pleased. I mean, this means my mornings are mine again! That, in my opinion, is reason enough.

Speaking of ... Lack of Income, it's official (as soon as I pay my deposit): I'm on my way to the University of Toronto! Perhaps I'll keep record here of the process of making my way North. I'll try, at any rate.

Changes

I used to Metro to work. I even liked it, some days. Maybe even half the time. And I walked halfway. I enjoyed that walk, in every season but winter.

These days, things have changed. The only walk I have is the walk from my car to the building, and I don't use public transportation at all. I do get a pass onto the HOV lanes, because I drive a clean-fueled Civic Hybrid, but I hardly feel that's a really "green" activity, given I'm not actually carpooling.

The not-green advantages to driving to work:
I've learned how to parallel park, and pretty well, too. Something that needs to be self-taught around here, frustratingly - I know I for one didn't get tested on that before getting my license. The downside to this advantage? Nobody else knows how to, either. Advantage number two: the commute is much shorter, cut about in half. Thirdly, my route takes me down the GW Parkway, which is leafy and comes with a view of the river.

I soothe my conscience by remembering that I do drive a Hybrid, and that I won't be making this drive for much longer.