Temp Life

It’s been challenging finding summer work this year. The government funds programs that incent workplaces to hire students during the summer season – but forces these companies to demand that their student employees are between fifteen and twenty nine years old. So basically, I’m too old to qualify for the majority of student jobs. (What? Really? But I’m still a student! Doesn’t that count for anything?)

Having spent the majority of my adult life in the Corporate World, I figured that was my best bet in terms of hourly wage. Now, if the economy were better, I could have lined up a project management contract and reeeeally made some good cash, but most companies just aren’t investing in projects right about now. So I have settled for the next best thing, providing administrative support on a temporary basis. It’s easy, it’s low stress, and it beats the hell out of Starbucks. Is it totally beneath me, intellectually? Sure. But who cares?

It’s funny how people treat you when you’re the receptionist, or the mail room clerk. They assume you’re a total idiot. And it’s even weirder when they know nothing about you. Like for example, nobody at my current assignment knows that I’ve been trained in Six Sigma and can run a hell of a tight project. Or that I’ve built a department from the ground up, including the key performance metrics...and built the reporting capabilities to extract the key performance metrics. Or that I’ve delivered training to hundreds. Or that I’ve managed and coached countless employees into promotions. But whatever.

“Do you know how to book a meeting room in Outlook?" the sales representatives ask me condescendingly, "Did Janice show you how to do that?”

They hesitate before asking me; they're uncertain, almost expecting me to have no clue. And then, their elation when they find out that I can do it for them! Wow…as if it’s that difficult. They’re basically expecting me to be a total moron. A bit insulting, for sure, but I’m not divulging anything. As a temp, you can please people just by being of average intelligence, their standards are so low.

I’ve been so bored on the majority of my assignments, that I go above and beyond on every single task and essentially blow people away with my responsiveness. I do it because it gives me something to do. I provide tracking numbers on every package sent out. I stock every photocopier in the office full of paper. I tidy all the office supplies. Just to give me something to do. I wonder how people actually do these jobs full time. I’d go crazy.

On a temporary basis, though, it’s fun. It’s like I’m on my own reality TV show. I go in for a week, meet the people, watch how they do things, do the tasks I’m hired to do, and then I’m gone. I judge their processes, the ones I’m involved in, and think of ways I would make them better. I notice how much money they waste, how much time things take, how fulfilled the employees are. That’s the Six Sigma in me, I guess.

But nobody suspects I’m noticing these things. Or that I even have the capacity to understand them and what they mean to The Big Picture. After all, I am just a temp.

Love your library!

Recently I've rediscovered the library. I'm not used to having time to read for pleasure: I spent most of last year pretty much reading textbooks and lab manuals exclusively...There was no time for biographies and novels. This summer, I've been loving reading, though. The Toronto library system is decent - I can order up whatever I want on the internet, wait for it to come in, and pick it up at my local branch when it's ready. I'm catching up, slowly.

Currently I'm waiting for some great stuff:

"The Compassionate Carnivore: Or, How to Keep Animals Happy, Save Old MacDonald's Farm, Reduce Your Hoofprint, and Still Eat Meat" by Catherine Friend. No, I'm not thinking about going back to meat. But I am curious to read this, because I have loads of meat eating friends that do care about the earth and animals, and I suspect this might be a good book to recommend to people who want to make good choices but aren't ready or willing to part with meat in their diet.

"Five Years of My Life: An Innocent Man in Guantanamo" by Murat Kurnaz. Over a year ago, I saw Murat being interviewed on 60 Minutes. His story is compelling. At age 19, on a visit to Pakistan, he was taken into custody, sold to US forces, and held without proper charge in Guantanamo where he endured nearly five years of torture and suffering. After some massive campaigning by friends, family, and thousands of Amnesty International supporters, Murat was finally released and wrote this book.

"Summer of My Amazing Luck" by Miriam Toews. I just finished a book by her, called "A Complicated Kindness" that I just loved. I'm hooked on her writing, her characters, everything. If this novel is even close to as good as that one, I'm in for a treat.

"Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog" by Ted Kerasote. I gave this book to Ola for her 30th birthday and have been wanting to read it ever since. Somewhere, though I can't remember where, it was described as the best story about a dog there ever was. That's enough for me. I'm sure I'll cry buckets of tears when the dog eventually dies at the end, but that's to be expected, and I'm a sucker for dog stories.

"Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America" by Nathan Winograd. The story of animal sheltering in the United States, a history of sorts. I've been reading the author's blog a lot lately and like his take on animal issues.

"The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspective of Autism" by Temple Grandin & Sean Barron. Temple Grandin rules. She's autistic, a Ph.D. in Animal Science, and just plain brilliant. I *loved* her book, Animals In Translation - she's just got such a different way of looking at the world - her perspective about whatever she's tackling seems totally different, but the thing is, it always makes sense - it's just not the way I naturally, initially think about things. Which I find fascinating. A new world. Really exciting. I have only ever read her stuff about animals before - am really looking forward to her take on human social relationships.

I've also ordered up a DVD about Dr. Grandin called "The Woman Who Thinks Like A Cow" , which is about her life in general, and her work improving conditions in the livestock industry. I recently cancelled my cable, so am always looking for free, interesting, educational, stuff to watch. I miss the National Geographic Channel, and The Documentary Channel. (Okay, and HBO.)

Ohhh, just making this list is making me super anxious to sink my teeth into all this good stuff. Hooray for the library - I'll never stay away this long again!

Why love one but eat the other?

Chooseveg.ca has started a really cool campaign increasing awareness about the conditions farm animals are raised in and the target audience is subway riders in Toronto. Which is great, because whether you want to or not, if you're riding the subway, you're looking at the ads. Kind of controversial, but hopefully eye-opening for a lot of people who choose not to think about how what was once a cute little piglet ends up on their dinner plate.

The campaign is aimed at connecting our companion animals like dogs and cats to farm animals in terms of their similarities, and then exposes the suffering of farm animals in factory farms. Three different ads are featured, sharing information about pigs, cows, and chickens. I must admit I was majorly proud to be a vegetarian as I sat facing the pig themed ad yesterday on my ride downtown. You can view each of the ads on Chooseveg.ca website, as well as watch video footage, read articles, get great veggie recipes, and learn about the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.

Why I love Kensington Market

I was poking around on youtube and found this little homemade clip shot outside Graffitis that shows Baldwin Street busy with the usual Saturday afternoon crowd, John Borra Band playing live at the bar (the song is "Irene") and a lady and a kid dancing their hearts out to it. The quality is crap, but the sentiment: magic.

Nicotine Dreams

I don't think I blogged about my journey into non-smokerdom, but last year, shortly before my trip to Uganda, I set about on a quest to free myself from a nasty addiction. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. All my close friends smoked. I was living with a smoker, so our apartment smelled like smoke pretty much all the time. I fought against years of engrained smoking habits. The walking-to-the-bus-smoke. The with-a-glass-of-wine-smoke. The patio-smoke. The I'm-bored-smoke. And the I'm-stressed-smoke. And the I'm-angry-smoke. And all the rest of them. I did it though-- the patch helped me with the physical cravings while I retrained myself of all my psychological habits. And I was smoke-free for almost a year. Despite it being one of the most challenging years ever - despite the stress of school and the worst break up ever, and the move from hell, I maintained my status as a non-smoker. Until Siris went missing that day, and then, I'm ashamed to admit it, but here it is: I fell off the wagon.

For the months of May and June, I got back together with my old pal cigarettes. How quickly I fell into old habits. Awful. I hated my clothes smelling like cigarettes. I hated needing one with my morning coffee, and I definitely hated the money I was wasting on my dirty little habit. Most of all though, I hated the feeling that I had caved, I had failed, I was weak. Boooourns.

So, I'm on the patch again. Day five of my new life as a non smoker. I like the patch because you simply can't smoke when you're on it. You could have a stroke. That's incentive enough for me. I can't stop thinking about cigarettes, but I know that slowly that will go away. By the time school starts again I should have weaned myself off the patch and be fully rehabilitated.

But man, the dreams! I had forgotten about the vivid dreams you get when you've got a nicotine patch slapped on.

Two days ago, I dreamed I was at a wedding - either the bride or the groom was related to me, which I knew in the dream, even though I couldn't see either of them, so I don't actually know whose wedding it was. Dr. Phil was there, with his wife. (I know - random, right? Dr. Phil is haunting my dreams? Really?) They were related to the either the bride or the groom too, but not on my side. Dr. Phil was up there on stage, making eyes at his stupid wife and talking about how this was going to be "A Changing Day" for the couple. He kept blabbing on and on, while I kept trying to see who was actually getting married. Whoever they were, Dr. Phil was totally hijacking their wedding.

Yesterday I dreamed about a toddler girl who was getting her eyebrows threaded. Seriously, she was a two year old, cute as a button, getting her eyebrows threaded by some little old chinese lady in a basement somewhere. Weeeeird.

I almost never remember my dreams, and this week, they've been waking me up in the middle of the night. I hope once I'm down to a lower dosage patch I can go back to my regular dreamless, deep slumber nights.

Commie Bathroom Graffiti

The Communist's Daughter boasts some of the best bathroom graffiti ever. One day, after a few too many, I went a little camera happy with my cell phone, documenting. The forest background in one of the stalls is too awesome for words, and note the "You look hott!" written so when you check yourself in the mirror, you feel good about yourself.

"Fear is the lock, and laughter is the key to your heart....hehehe Don't worry - Keep Laughing"
"...OR TRY COMEDY."

"Please, somebody carve this bit of drywall out and put it in their scrapbook. It is obviously going to be an insanely valuable autograph when the genius visionary philosopher king who wrote it is inevitably world renowned. -- Sarcasm: for those times when you are not happy enough to be funny."

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink because when they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they will feel ALL DAY."

And the response: "every night you get fucked up you borrow joy from the next day. At least the non fucked-uppers break even. And that's all." (note the big "DOUCHE" with arrow pointing to this one.)