I've been awake since 4:00. Thought I'd put my insomnia to semi-good use, so I re-read Where The Lilies Bloom. It's a library book I believed at the time that I had borrowed for Bunny to read, but realized later it was secretly my own desire.
Call it my Narnia moment. All you Narnia fans are probably re-reading the series now that the movie's out. I never could get into those books for some reason. So lately, I've picked up other children's books from my youth.
They're expecting me at work in 1 1/2 hours, you know, but I am not ready to return to the outside world. My head is making unusual mental noises like wuhhhhhh. I clench my coffee cup with both hands. I doubt if I remember all my passwords. However, if I did stay away a few more days, I might even forget my tenuous grasp on my own job description. That would be a shame. It's taken since mid-November to figure out what the bloody hell they want from me; any more time away and I'd become just a character at a desk going wuhhhhh and grrrrrrr.
Ugh. This whole working for a living thing is definitely cutting into my holiday fun, now that I'm back in the office for a whole day and a half.
Posted by: Snow | December 29, 2005 at 08:33 AM
My time away - five days! - has underscored how little I understand this agency or my job. I still have no idea what they expect from me. I mean, I knew the unit was brand-new, but I thought I'd at least be trained, have a mentor, have permission to contact people and conduct the research that seems to be required, have a concrete end product to work on, and/or have productive and informative meetings with my peers. There's none of that going on, none.
And in case you think I'm just a whiner - Cheerful feels exactly the same way. She just got done talking my ear off. One of my ears has fallen off my head. Happy?
Posted by: pam | December 29, 2005 at 09:38 AM
Have you ever considered that like Patrick Magoohan's character in "The Prisoner" you have been assigned to an essentially meaningless job as a covert form of punishment for some past betryal? Think carefully about your time spent in the Old Office and ask yourself: didn't I ocassionbally see an enigmatic white bubble go by?
Be thankful that neither Sheriff Andy nor Kafka are involved....
Posted by: Anthony | December 29, 2005 at 11:30 AM
Good to have you back, sweetie, and as enigmatically off-topic as ever before.
http://beancounters.blogs.com/parodies/2004/09/the_prisoner_in.html
Posted by: pam | December 29, 2005 at 12:30 PM
The first time I went on a two-week vacation I got in the elevator and couldn't remember what floor I worked on. Good times...
Regarding the new unit, is the boss just as frustrated and foundering as the rest of you? It does sound like they are not providing the leadership that is needed, but they may not know how. Based on the list of things above that you can't do, are you saying that they are resistent to you providing some 'leadership from behind'? If it's a truly untenable situation I'm sorry. If you think that there are some opportunities to define your role more clearly and encourage some productivity, then tell me if I can help. :)
Posted by: CmdrSue | December 29, 2005 at 02:48 PM