Corner of Bourbon & Division

We're meant to be losing at least some connectivity at work tonight starting in a little over 20 minutes, so I'm doing a very quick update just so as not to lose my "post every day" streak. Yes, these things preoccupy me, don't ask. ;)

I am really hoping it's a minor inconvenience. In theory we have backup systems, but there's a non-zero chance we will have to relocate to another building, which is a huge pain in the ass. We have to pack up laptops and cell phones and binders into backpacks and lug them on foot for several blocks to another building, then have a fight with that building's infrastructure in order to get everything connected, and none of it works quite right nor quite the way we're used to working at our regular workstations. It's inconvenient and annoying, but nothing worse than that.

More annoying is that I have to work this weekend, since I switched with a colleague last month, and so I'm going to spend most of tomorrow and maybe also Sunday mopping up the backlog that this outage is going to cause, which is yet another annoying, inconvenient pain in my ass. 

In the spirit of maybe finally starting to get my act together (hah), I went out today and acquired some more moving boxes. Specifically I got wardrobe boxes, boxes for dishware and glasses, a pack of small book boxes (good for books, CDs, DVDs, and small but heavy items), and a bunch of bubble wrap. I've asked KK to get a start this weekend on clearing the trash out of the living room, in the hopes that that will clear some space to start a staging area for packing on Monday. I don't know if she'll do it, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I likely won't have much time to pack this weekend, but at least I have more materials now, which seems like a step in the right direction.

In the meantime, I am going to have a very short night of sleep tonight. I work until midnight, won't get to bed until probably 1:30 or 2:00, and then I have to be up again at 6:00 in order to get to work on time for 7:45 for my 12-hour shift. *weeps a little*

I had a preliminary conversation with the recruiter about WillScott Mobile (technically the recruiter is from a firm called Duffy Group, I think), and I think it's worth exploring further for now. I think I mentioned that they're located closer to my home than my current work, and it looks like they may have free parking, whereas parking downtown is $24 a day. It might not turn out to be a money saver if I have to drive in every day due to the cost of gas, but I'd have to crunch the numbers to be absolutely certain. I suspect I'd probably end up breaking even, or somewhere close.

Okay, connectivity thing has started. I will try to post this and hope for the best. Fingers crossed, and see you on the flip side, friends!

I am going to have to make this a very short filler entry, as I spent most of the evening working on a job application. There are non-zero odds that my Director won't be able to make good on his promise to find me something else within the unit, and I deeply do not want to go back to work for my manager after this, so applying for other jobs is a thing that has to happen. *sigh* I hate applying for jobs.

Now it is bedtime. Catch you later, folks!

I have decided that in the New Year I'm going to make a point of writing here every day, even if it's just a couple of sentences or something. Until then, I'm going to try to at least post more often, maybe a couple of times a week.

Every time I think of posting here, I worry that I'll never be able to catch up on everything that's been happening that I haven't had time to post about. Then I feel overwhelmed and decide there's no point in even trying, and I creep away from LJ filled with guilt and regret. Wah. :P

So I'm not going to try to catch up. I'm just going to jump in where I am and hope people aren't too confused.

Quick bullet-point summary of significant events of the last year:

April: pdaughter moved in with Bean. We are all very happy, if adjusting. (:::ETA::: It occurs to me I shouldn't speak for them. I am very happy. I have no idea if they are, but if they aren't they haven't told me.)
June: I applied for a transfer to Ottawa
August: My transfer was accepted, and I was offered a permanent position with the RCMP. Whee!
September: I started work in Ottawa

Because pdaughter is still in the midst of her studies, and because we didn't want to pull Bean out of his wonderful new preschool, I kept the house in L'Ile Perrot and am renting a tiny (no, really, it's 8' x 11') room in Ottawa at an exorbitant price. I commute back and forth roughly every five to six days. In two years' time we will be selling the house and moving to Ontario permanently.

This year has also been the year of hospital visits (one each for Bean and pdaughter, though luckily in both cases it was for stuff that was easily treated with antibiotics), car accidents (one each for me and pdaughter, though in her case the accident wasn't her fault and in my case it was technically I who hit the other car—no injuries in either case and insurance covered all repairs) computer deaths (only one, but that was enough), and cat-assisted cell phone death.

In short, life right now is insane for me. Whenever I get a chance to be at home I cling there like a limpet because there are so many chores to do that I can never seem to get to the bottom of them all, and because I'm a homebody at heart and I hate having to spend so much time away from my family. I'm reasonably sure they don't enjoy my absences either (though in my more paranoid moments I wonder if they don't heave a sigh of relief when I'm not there screwing up the new routine).

I haven't been writing at all (creative or otherwise), because I'm a) really really busy with mundane things, b) really really exhausted from the new job and the new commute and general stress, c) perennially stressed out about money. All these things basically fuck up the headspace I need to be in in order to settle down and let the muse out to play. I'm hoping to change this in the New Year. I have vague plans that I hope will become more concrete to not only write but also finish my writing projects (something I'm notoriously bad at).

So, yeah, that's me in a nutshell. I'm open to questions if you have any about just what the heck's been going on with me these days. ;)

Happy trails!

Yesterday was crazy-busy. Got up early to do some cleaning (the shelf-debacle wasn't thoroughly picked up, plus the cleaning lady was coming), and ran to work after missing my bus. Got there only a few minutes late, and sat down to a major rush all day long.

The n00b had to stay home with her sick kid, but given how busy we were it was probably a good thing.

I ran errands at lunch, then after work I ran to the gym and worked out for a little over an hour. After the gym I donated blood, and was rewarded with ( cut for people who don't like blood ) Umm, yay? Anyway, as ever there were no ill effects, although the volunteers fussed endlessly over me and tried to get me to consume seventeen times more cookies than I needed. :P

Once I had stopped bleeding, had had a cookie and a coffee, I mosied over to Pinata!Supervisor's retirement party, where I got offered a job half-jokingly by OCC Ottawa, who have permanent positions opening up. Permanent! *sigh*

I dunno if I'd want to move to Ottawa, though. It would depend on the cost of living. Anyone know if it's more or less expensive?

Either way, Ottawa look like they have better schedules and more organized supervisors, and they rarely if ever work overtime, so I gotta say it's tempting...


Anyway, I sneaked away early during the really bad/boring speeches, and went to Hurley's, where the usual gang was there, and good times were had.

By the time I got home I was completely zonked. I hope today ends up quieter.

So... turns out I might actually be elsewhere by the end of September.

Quick: everyone think happy September thoughts!

I have to fill out all my paperwork tomorrow as a result.

Haven't been posting much. Haven't been online much, as it happens. Busy, life, you know how it goes: the more you have to post about, the less time you have.

I have an interview for the RCMP on Friday morning at 9:00. Think good thoughts for me, please! :)

I will try very hard to make a proper update soon, promise.

The other girl at work got a call from the RCMP today. I, however, did not. I'm hoping it's a clerical error and that they'll phone tomorrow.

Think good thoughts, please.

I'm out of here in a few minutes. The micromanagement continues apace, although I find that there's a lot of stop-and-go as I try to figure out what works for me and what doesn't.

I miss line dancing. I miss the people, I miss the energy, I miss the music, and I miss having something to look forward to in the evenings. Now all I do at night is work, and the day is filled with errands and cleaning and being responsible.

I'm thinking of applying to be a dispatcher for the RCMP. They're looking for people. The shift work would be brutal, but it pays about twelve grand more than I'm getting now, and I'm beginning to dislike the atmosphere at work. It's not a good sign when 95% of the employees in a place are unhappy with how things are being run.

So I get to update my CV (should put that on the to-do list), and start shopping around again. I feel a little disloyal about looking for a new position so soon, but after Monday's little unpleasantness I feel less guilty than I might. I don't enjoy being told that I'm a hypocrite who doesn't care about my work, because that's patently not true. Whatever. I refuse to get into that again. I spent far too long being upset over what is essentially an empty threat and a couple of insults.

Took a nap this afternoon, and I'm still barely able to keep my eyes open. I am going to bed early. Writing will happen tomorrow.

I have another interview (same company) tomorrow morning at 9am. The more sleep I get tonight, the better. I'm little better than a zombie today, and while that might be interesting for character exploration purposes, it's doing nothing for my functionality.

More tomorrow when I'm awake.

After promising myself I would call the two emergency-dispatch jobs and inquire today, I went back and looked more closely at the job offers, so that I would know what I was talking about when I called and sound oh-so-together-and-on-the-ball.

Except, neither job offer includes a phone number. :::headdesk:::

What I thought were phone numbers at first glance are in fact fax numbers. So it seems I worked myself into a state of "Oh-my-God-I-have-to-use-the-PHONE!" for nothing.

For those of you who are relatively new to this LJ (I think there are a couple of you) and who are scratching their heads wondering: "If she has a phone phobia, why the hell does she want to work in a call centre?" allow me to explain the funky ways in which Phnee's mind works.

Almost all my jobs, no, strike that, all my jobs have involved considerable phone use. I have no problem with phones, answering them or calling out, as long as I have a Large Corporation to back me up. When I worked for Bell Mobility, I wasn't Phnee answering the phone or calling people to harass them. I was a Representative of Bell Mobility™. See? That means it's not personal. If people yelled, they were yelling at Bell Mobility, and not at me.

Also, I have remarkably good phone skills, professionally speaking. I have talked down so many clients from so many metaphorical ledges, it's not even funny. I know exactly what kind of tone to adopt with people that will make them relate to me, even like me, and therefore trust me. They stop yelling. They speak more quietly. They remember that they're dealing with another human being who doesn't deserve to have them vent their frustrations on them in this way. But I never, ever reproach them for doing it. On the contrary, I usually encourage them: "That's okay. I know it's not personal, and that you're really frustrated by this. I understand. In your shoes, I'd be frustrated and yelling too." Funny how that makes them stop yelling even faster. :)

The trick is that you actually have to care about the caller, even if you don't know them and will likely never speak to them again. They can sense if you care, believe it or not. On my off days, when I didn't want to be at work and didn't want to give a damn about my clients, I had less good results. It makes for pretty exhausting days, though, caring about everyone who calls. But having happy callers is a hell of an ego-boost.

It's a gift. I try to use it only for good. :)

Using the phone on my own power, however, is an entirely different kettle of fish. I far prefer going places in person. I am *very* good in interviews. I am well-spoken, articulate, and I *look* professional. Sometimes that doesn't always come through on the phone. On the phone I turn into a stuttering, blithering mess. I trip over my own tongue, I lose my words, and the little voice at the back of my mind goes into a loop: "Why are you wasting these people's time? Why are you bothering? Who are you to be calling and taking up space?" etc. Going in person helps, because I can usually gauge by body language if the little voice in my head is right or not (it usually isn't).

Okay. I've sent off one email. The harder one. The one for the actual 911 job. The other one is for a security company which is closer to home. The 911 job would be in St. Eustache, which is WAY the hell gone and, as far as I can tell, not close to anything remotely like public transit. On the off-chance that I do get the job, it's going to be hellishly complicated to get there. :P

Now I have to send my CV to this other job. Wish me luck!