Catch-up time Pt. 1 -- Work
I realized a few days ago (talking to daughter-mine) that I haven't been on LJ for quite a few weeks, so it's time to catch up a bit. I tried to catch up on reading about YOUR lives... and got through about a week's worth. I will continue and try my best to get completely caught up.
In the meantime, I'll catch you up on my life. (Split into two posts, I think.)
The main reason I've gotten behind is that my job has changed a bit (temporarily), meaning that I'm not at my computer much. (Not that I EVER read LJ at work, of course...) The institute here does a survey every year, asking high school students throughout the state (260,000 of them) about their personal alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. The survey needed temporary staff and things have been very slow in the library, AND I get paid the same money, so I said "Sure." The work is pretty much scut -- opening boxes, (someone else sends the surveys out) logging in what has been received and (what I'm doing right now, which IS on a computer) scanning them -- which involves babysitting a very crotchty scantron-scanner. (I was just told by a co-worker that I 'have the patience of a saint' because I don't get frustrated jumping up every 30 seconds to clear the paper-path. [Scanning is a coveted position, because you CAN [at least in theory] browse the net while you do it.]
This isn't something I'd want to do 12 months of the year, but for a couple of months, it's a nice change. My co-workers are primarily grad students, meaning they are intelligent and pleasant folks. (Even if one of them DID tell me, a couple of weeks back, that I look 'really good for your age.' )
AND, daughter-mine may be able to get a job here this summer, which will be VERY good.
The story I sold a few months ago has been published (rather heavily edited -- some of it an improvement, some not), and I've sold another.
Next catch-up post will be longer.
In the meantime, I'll catch you up on my life. (Split into two posts, I think.)
The main reason I've gotten behind is that my job has changed a bit (temporarily), meaning that I'm not at my computer much. (Not that I EVER read LJ at work, of course...) The institute here does a survey every year, asking high school students throughout the state (260,000 of them) about their personal alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. The survey needed temporary staff and things have been very slow in the library, AND I get paid the same money, so I said "Sure." The work is pretty much scut -- opening boxes, (someone else sends the surveys out) logging in what has been received and (what I'm doing right now, which IS on a computer) scanning them -- which involves babysitting a very crotchty scantron-scanner. (I was just told by a co-worker that I 'have the patience of a saint' because I don't get frustrated jumping up every 30 seconds to clear the paper-path. [Scanning is a coveted position, because you CAN [at least in theory] browse the net while you do it.]
This isn't something I'd want to do 12 months of the year, but for a couple of months, it's a nice change. My co-workers are primarily grad students, meaning they are intelligent and pleasant folks. (Even if one of them DID tell me, a couple of weeks back, that I look 'really good for your age.' )
AND, daughter-mine may be able to get a job here this summer, which will be VERY good.
The story I sold a few months ago has been published (rather heavily edited -- some of it an improvement, some not), and I've sold another.
Next catch-up post will be longer.