Let's get something straight: I do not like dimly lit bathrooms. This may mean that I am not the tough punk-rock chick I'm sure you all assumed I was, but there you go. This bathroom's wallpaper also has a fleur-de-lis pattern that looks suspiciously like hundreds of dragon heads with their mouths open, ready to jump out of the wall and attack.
Did you miss me? I missed you guys, and had guilt pangs every day. But the last few days of last week were too hectic, and I didn't get my account set up in my new office until today. Not only did I join clerical support, but my first assignment is outside of the main building, over near 17th street. It's a month-long assignment, which makes it harder for me to see Letisha. However, we are scheduled to go over to her place on Memorial day, so it's alright.
Time for the news: Dirk got fired from 7-11. They have a $5 limit for money missing from each shift's tally. After Dirk and another guy's shift, there was $16 missing. Dirk got fired, but I don't think the other guy did. Possibly because back a month or so ago, when they were having all of those audits that were coming up short, Dirk was working at the store. The other guy wasn't. Anyway, his supervisor really likes him, and didn't want to fire him (the decision came from the guy over her), so she's giving him glowing references. He's got an interview today, at 4:00.
The band is looking to record an E.P. I may have mentioned that before. Anyway, we've come up with a tentative song list for the E.P. Things are looking up, and we haven't had any problems with people not showing up/being late for practice in months.
We spent Sunday afternoon with Katie, since I lucked out and managed to catch her at home. She's busy working, and it's hard to catch up with her. We went shopping for more work clothes. We found one tank top/skirt combo that was really nice (albeit in pink, a color I used to loathe), but each item was about $40 or so. 100% silk is expensive. However, I did manage to find a suit in a gorgeous light blue color for only $50. It's wonderful, and the skirt just needed to be shortened a bit.
I wore it on my first day in the clerical support program, and people couldn't stop complimenting me (it only took my mother an hour to shorten the skirt).
Dirk's mother currently isn't allowing Dirk to use the phone. Theoretically, it's because he was "nasty" to her. That bitch doesn't have a leg to stand on....I have heard her when she gets going, and she could make an ex-convict's ears burn. She uses more colorful metaphors than I do, in her everyday conversation. I really can't stand hypocrites.
Nevermind. I took Dirk to a commuter parking lot so he could practice driving last night. It was nice and empty....Dirk's really awful right now, which is to be expected. He hasn't gotten any practice whatsoever. It was worth the sheer terror of having him muddle around in my car to see how happy he was. He so desperately wants to improve his position in life.
The office I've been assigned to is really nice. All the people here are friendly (unlike personnel), and the work is challenging and absorbing. They have a coffee club here, and for a one-time fee of $5, I can drink gourmet hazelnut flavored coffee for the entire month I'm assigned here. With hazelnut creamer. As much as I want, all day, every day. The supervisor here has said that she's very impressed with my work, and is seeing if there's any way they can hire me permanently. I'm not sure if I want to work here, but it wouldn't be a bad place.
The only down sides are: the bathrooms and the construction work. I've already explained the bathroom situation, although I forgot to add the fact that you need a key to open the bathroom, and since I'm only going to be here a month, they saw no need to make me my own key. So, I have to use the key reserved for guests, which is attached to a large piece of plastic. Much like the bathroom passes used by many junior high teachers.
They tore down a building right behind the one I'm assigned to a couple weeks ago — now they're putting in a new building. Loudly. They are embedding 50 25-foot-long steel girders into the bedrock, with one of those cranes that just pounds them into the ground, inch by inch. It makes a wha-THUMP-ching noise rhythmically, all day long. Since I started here on Tuesday, I think they've managed to get ten of those girders in the ground.
The area around here is great. Right next door to my building is a jewelry store, where I've found the perfect engagement ring: a 1.58 carat diamond cut in the shape of a heart. Only $2,558. I want that ring. There's also a bunch of boutiques and cafes.
I got my performance appraisal from my old supervisor. "Highly Effective," same as Alex. I can't believe that, given the fact that he's had numerous complaints against him.
Speaking of Alex, he and Letisha (who's been forced to take over all of my old duties) have already had a major blow-up. On Monday, my first day on the new job, I stopped by my old office to give her the key to my old desk. She wasn't at her cubicle, so I just left it on her desk with a note. I ran into her later in the day, and she told me that she'd been in a meeting with a couple other employees. However, when her supervisor asked Alex where Letisha was, he responded, "She's with Agent Skatter; either walking around the building or in her office with her."
When Letisha confronted him after her meeting and asked him where he got this information, he didn't answer. So, she told him that if he started spreading lies like that about her again, she was going to "punch him right in the face." He spent the entire day apologizing to her via e- mail.
Enough for now. I'll try to write tomorrow.