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ManagedWe live in the age of the overworked, and the under-educated; the age in which people are so industrious that they become absolutely stupid. |
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Thursday, April 16, 1998
I was showering at work this morning, as I often do. The locker room at work has a fully tiled walk-in shower, with a hand-held spray, unlimited hot water, and an endless supply of towels. I don't have all this at home! Suddenly I felt an absence of water falling on my head, and an increase of water spraying in a strong stream against my legs. The hose had detached itself from the shower head! So rather than finish showering, I literally hosed myself off! When I got back to my desk, I sent email to facilities so they can fix it.
My current manager and I had a talk today. Someone I worked with on a special project a year and a half ago (long before I joined my current team) asked me about a problem he is having, and I asked her who would be someone who has knowledge in that area. It's certainly far from my area of expertise! She didn't know who the best contact would be, so I'll have to hunt around. But she said she'd been wanting to talk to me. My agency had been talking to her about my job classification, and I might be getting a raise! She examined the list of duties and knowledge areas that go with my job, and thinks that I'm more of a Web Developer 2 than a Web Developer 1. Gratifying!
She also told me what she'd been telling someone else, how great it was that I do my job with a minimum of prompting or "managing." She only has to ask me to do something once, and it just happens. This is good to hear! I took the chance to suggest that if anyone on the program management team needs help with anything, I could be the one to help. The other parts of my job aren't keeping me all that busy right now, and I want new challenges and tasks to increase my visibility and value to the team.
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Walking to and from dancing makes a good warm-up and cool-down for me, and the neighborhood is at its prettiest right now. Notable plants in bloom: apple trees and cherry laurel.
Once again, Fireman Dan was a man who makes things happen: he met up with a couple on Monday night who were in town for vacation and to check out the swing dance scene here. They were all at the Swing Kids Monday jam. So he convinced them to take class with us, go for a snack with us, and join us at the dance. They were good dancers, and the man had those dark Irish good looks. Dan is also instigating a trip to Vancouver, B.C. tomorrow night (but I'll be going to the Century Ballroom instead) and he wants to see a crowd at the Showbox on Sunday night. It will be the first time for swing dancing at the Showbox.
The steps we have been learning last week and this are all based in "skate" postion: the couple side by side, with the lead holding the follow's left hand in front of him, and his right arm around her, hand on her right hip. It's fun getting into this position, with the follow going straight ahead and being "caught" by the lead, then swept into the right spot. Steps that follow when you are in "skate": Crossover charleston and skate itself.
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