Three jobs, two jobs, back to three jobs
A couple weeks ago I interviewed for a supervisor position at my CSO job. I'd get to yell at people for not showing up to work and then drive around saying hello to all the people that did. That's a gross oversimplification but I don't think any of you cares about the details. Anyway I interviewed for it and didn't hear anything for two weeks. Other people's names were announced, I counted up the spots did the math and realizeds that I hadn't made the cut.
I was confused and slightly hurt. I've been there longer than anyone else who applied, I have never had any problems there. I think I do my job well and have more experience with incidents and surprises than most of the other people who applied. My interview went pretty well and I thought I did particularly well on the how would you improve the program question. So I've spent the past week going over everything I've ever said to a supervisor (whose feedback is the most important factor in any promotion decision) and everthing I said in the interview and all the fuck ups I've ever had on logs or over the radio that were significant enough to be reported back to the managers (none came to mind). I couldn't figure out why I hadn't gotten it and felt a little bad for thinking several times "quite frankly I'd be better than so and so"
So today I'm sitting in traffic about 20 miles away from job #2 at 8 minutes before I'm pposed to be there and I get a voicemail. Guess I didn't hear the ring over my music. I GOT THE FUCKING JOB!!!! My math was wrong. They posted other name's first because they need to start some people training now and I can't start until fall but I was actually their first choice. IN the words of A.A. Milne Boo-Yah! I called a bunch of people and did a happy dance in my car pushing the clutch in and out at least 3 million times as we creeped past a crashed semi that had closed three of the four eastbound lanes. I hope no one was hurt.
Who am I kidding. I'm glad I got the promotion and I don't hope anyone was hurt but I didn't give the accident more than a second of thought, other than "why did they close three lanes for that. Fucking Caltrans is getting an angry call asking why they had to make me an hour late for work so they could look at a crashed semi but not actually do anything about it." Maybe that took more than one second to think but the point is it just got that one thought.
I've been reading a lot of David Sedaris lately. I highly reccomend it. Generally speaking I don't really like and have almost nothing in common with soft spoken, effeminate, french loving, pillow decorating, sports hating, art school attending, tweaking, gay humorists (OK. maybe a little. I love brie) but I think he's really funny. I couldn't empathize less with his stories about not wanting a little brother and being bored to tears while his dad tries to explain how cool new IBM inventions work since I have always wanted a little brother and I've spent months of my life reading technology boards about the coolest new IBM thingamajigs chingaderas (spanish is just easier to spell) do whatever it is they do. We do share in common the ability to make fun of everyone around us including ourselves and the recognition that many of those people are complete idiots. If you like funny things you should read or listen to his stuff.
also you should come to school and see me driving around the official van as the newest Field Supervisor of the University of California's Police Department's CSO Programs. I don't think that's my official title and even it is that's the last time I'm taking the time to even think let alone write it all out.
I was confused and slightly hurt. I've been there longer than anyone else who applied, I have never had any problems there. I think I do my job well and have more experience with incidents and surprises than most of the other people who applied. My interview went pretty well and I thought I did particularly well on the how would you improve the program question. So I've spent the past week going over everything I've ever said to a supervisor (whose feedback is the most important factor in any promotion decision) and everthing I said in the interview and all the fuck ups I've ever had on logs or over the radio that were significant enough to be reported back to the managers (none came to mind). I couldn't figure out why I hadn't gotten it and felt a little bad for thinking several times "quite frankly I'd be better than so and so"
So today I'm sitting in traffic about 20 miles away from job #2 at 8 minutes before I'm pposed to be there and I get a voicemail. Guess I didn't hear the ring over my music. I GOT THE FUCKING JOB!!!! My math was wrong. They posted other name's first because they need to start some people training now and I can't start until fall but I was actually their first choice. IN the words of A.A. Milne Boo-Yah! I called a bunch of people and did a happy dance in my car pushing the clutch in and out at least 3 million times as we creeped past a crashed semi that had closed three of the four eastbound lanes. I hope no one was hurt.
Who am I kidding. I'm glad I got the promotion and I don't hope anyone was hurt but I didn't give the accident more than a second of thought, other than "why did they close three lanes for that. Fucking Caltrans is getting an angry call asking why they had to make me an hour late for work so they could look at a crashed semi but not actually do anything about it." Maybe that took more than one second to think but the point is it just got that one thought.
I've been reading a lot of David Sedaris lately. I highly reccomend it. Generally speaking I don't really like and have almost nothing in common with soft spoken, effeminate, french loving, pillow decorating, sports hating, art school attending, tweaking, gay humorists (OK. maybe a little. I love brie) but I think he's really funny. I couldn't empathize less with his stories about not wanting a little brother and being bored to tears while his dad tries to explain how cool new IBM inventions work since I have always wanted a little brother and I've spent months of my life reading technology boards about the coolest new IBM thingamajigs chingaderas (spanish is just easier to spell) do whatever it is they do. We do share in common the ability to make fun of everyone around us including ourselves and the recognition that many of those people are complete idiots. If you like funny things you should read or listen to his stuff.
also you should come to school and see me driving around the official van as the newest Field Supervisor of the University of California's Police Department's CSO Programs. I don't think that's my official title and even it is that's the last time I'm taking the time to even think let alone write it all out.