Because No Good Deed Ever Goes Unpunished ....
So, yesterday, I walked around the gallery and took notes for the Art Dept supervisor who called in. I typed up my notes and figured that would be the end of things until I came in today, so I could see if she had any questions. Turns out, I saw her on the way up to the Dev Dept (as it was a Dev Dept kind of day). She complimented me, saying that my notes had great information and really helped out.
Cool!
And I continue to head up into the office area, where I find that the area is eerily deserted. I usually check-in with one of two people, neither of whom were in. The Exec wasn't in her office, but the light was on. The Science Dept woman wasn't around. In fact, I was there for about 10 minutes before I heard noises from the back end of the office area.
But I didn't let absentee-ism stop me. (Actually, people had to suspend vacations and their version of mandatory LWOP because of the installation of the big art exhibition.) I still had newspapers to sort through and scan for the Archives work I had started on last week, so I was prepared!
Eventually, a few folks did return, including one of the people in charge of me. She was happy to see me plugging away at the Archives task, though not so happy later on. Before my day was half over (and it's a 4 hour day on Tuesdays), I was almost finished with my Archives work. (I don't think that the person in charge of me for Dev has anything else lined up after this.) If we hadn't had the regular staff meeting this afternoon, I would've been finished with just a little less than an hour left in my day.
However, it's the staff meeting that allowed for the retaliation of my Good Deed. As we ran down the list of items, the Exec starts waving around a copy of the notes I made for the Art Dept supervisor. (Really. She lifted it up in the air and started waving it around while almost shouting.) She wanted to know where the document came from, who wrote it, and began to say that it needed to be put into a common file on the Shared server so everyone can add to it, in order that a running To Do list can be kept on all the things that need doing with the new exhibition.
And -- no -- I did not tell her that I was the one who wrote it. At the time, I wasn't really sure which way she was going with it, even though she said that the collection's owner was very happy when he left on Monday.
Another thing happened later in the staff meeting about the surveys that I was working on, but M has called up to me. I need to take a break and help finish up dinner.
Edit: Much later in the evening ...
Ya gotta love breakfast for dinner!!
Anyway ....
As the Exec is running through her agenda items, she comes down to the topic of the surveys. There are two mentioned, one of which is no longer in the building, which means that she is obviously asking about the one that I was working on yesterday.
She asked the room (in a way that sounds very much like demanding) if there was anyone who knew what was going on with the survey for the exhibition. She looked to her right and asked. She looked to her left and asked. As no one decided to answer, I told her that the data from the surveys was already starting to be compiled. I explained the ways the surveys were sorted. I explained about the various types of data that were being pulled from the survey. She shot me a look down the table as if to say, "Who are you? Why are you talking? Who told you to work on the survey?" She then turns to the Ed Dept person and asks if there is someone she can put on the survey. The Ed Dept person says there is no one available. The Exec doesn't care, she just wants someone to work on it so she can get some immediate bullet points to send off on grant applications and for PR blurbs.
Eventually, the meeting ends. I have enough time left to go back to the office and clean things up before it's time to leave. Tomorrow is my early day/Art Dept day. When I talked with the Art Dept supervisor after the meeting, she said that she's got a new project for me to start on Wednesday.
Woo Hoo!
But I'm thinking that on Thursday, I'll finish up the Archives stuff and end up working on the surveys again. At least, I'm hoping that's where I'm going to end up. It looks like most of my Dev supervisors will be on leave the rest of this week and most of the next. And -- from what took place in the staff meeting -- it looks like the Ed department needs some help. I'm going to see if I can wrangle out a little inter-office loan of myself until the Dev Dept is back.
Cool!
And I continue to head up into the office area, where I find that the area is eerily deserted. I usually check-in with one of two people, neither of whom were in. The Exec wasn't in her office, but the light was on. The Science Dept woman wasn't around. In fact, I was there for about 10 minutes before I heard noises from the back end of the office area.
But I didn't let absentee-ism stop me. (Actually, people had to suspend vacations and their version of mandatory LWOP because of the installation of the big art exhibition.) I still had newspapers to sort through and scan for the Archives work I had started on last week, so I was prepared!
Eventually, a few folks did return, including one of the people in charge of me. She was happy to see me plugging away at the Archives task, though not so happy later on. Before my day was half over (and it's a 4 hour day on Tuesdays), I was almost finished with my Archives work. (I don't think that the person in charge of me for Dev has anything else lined up after this.) If we hadn't had the regular staff meeting this afternoon, I would've been finished with just a little less than an hour left in my day.
However, it's the staff meeting that allowed for the retaliation of my Good Deed. As we ran down the list of items, the Exec starts waving around a copy of the notes I made for the Art Dept supervisor. (Really. She lifted it up in the air and started waving it around while almost shouting.) She wanted to know where the document came from, who wrote it, and began to say that it needed to be put into a common file on the Shared server so everyone can add to it, in order that a running To Do list can be kept on all the things that need doing with the new exhibition.
And -- no -- I did not tell her that I was the one who wrote it. At the time, I wasn't really sure which way she was going with it, even though she said that the collection's owner was very happy when he left on Monday.
Another thing happened later in the staff meeting about the surveys that I was working on, but M has called up to me. I need to take a break and help finish up dinner.
Edit: Much later in the evening ...
Ya gotta love breakfast for dinner!!
Anyway ....
As the Exec is running through her agenda items, she comes down to the topic of the surveys. There are two mentioned, one of which is no longer in the building, which means that she is obviously asking about the one that I was working on yesterday.
She asked the room (in a way that sounds very much like demanding) if there was anyone who knew what was going on with the survey for the exhibition. She looked to her right and asked. She looked to her left and asked. As no one decided to answer, I told her that the data from the surveys was already starting to be compiled. I explained the ways the surveys were sorted. I explained about the various types of data that were being pulled from the survey. She shot me a look down the table as if to say, "Who are you? Why are you talking? Who told you to work on the survey?" She then turns to the Ed Dept person and asks if there is someone she can put on the survey. The Ed Dept person says there is no one available. The Exec doesn't care, she just wants someone to work on it so she can get some immediate bullet points to send off on grant applications and for PR blurbs.
Eventually, the meeting ends. I have enough time left to go back to the office and clean things up before it's time to leave. Tomorrow is my early day/Art Dept day. When I talked with the Art Dept supervisor after the meeting, she said that she's got a new project for me to start on Wednesday.
Woo Hoo!
But I'm thinking that on Thursday, I'll finish up the Archives stuff and end up working on the surveys again. At least, I'm hoping that's where I'm going to end up. It looks like most of my Dev supervisors will be on leave the rest of this week and most of the next. And -- from what took place in the staff meeting -- it looks like the Ed department needs some help. I'm going to see if I can wrangle out a little inter-office loan of myself until the Dev Dept is back.