Wubba Lubba Dub Dub: The One About Work in Book One: The Not So Daily Briefs 2014

PRE 1: Ouchy ouchy ouchy. Lately with the weather changing into fall (which I love) my body has been more pissy. Add that to the “healthy lifestyle exercise” regimen… my body is killing me. So tight and sore and perma-ouchy!

PRE 2: Printed Media shouldn’t have died… or if not died, I wish it was at least a more viable career choice still. I’ve not had a lot of time to write, so I’ve left myself notes and website addresses and research reminders EVERYWHERE! All of which I’ve seen old Newspaper people do (my mother’s father was a big newspaper man)… just seems like something I could have gotten into and enjoyed if the new world order hadn’t made information so accessible, audience-tailored, and abundant.

1a) I’m starting to really despise my job. I get paid very well for what I actually do but things are just… building on each other? Essentially all the little things that suck are starting to get together and become a powerful little organized cluster of suck. For example- I’ve gotten used to the fact that what I do doesn’t matter. I really wish that were different, but I’ve gotten used to it. The thing is- I have a JD… and I’m doing a job that doesn’t matter, doesn’t effect the community or the world at large, and has no accountability other than what I bring upon myself. If I don’t show up to work… it doesn’t matter. And while I can learn to deal with that - I can’t exactly accept that.

But lately- it has gotten so much worse. Several other departments within Corrections Programs have started to treat my tiny section as “Program Wide Bitch Work HQ.” So now… instead of paperwork and court… we have to do everything within “Programs” that doesn’t matter but gets assigned. Like… we have to go to the jail and face-to-face interview any inmate who wants to be considered for programs. Sounds important? It isn’t. I’m given a list of people who have ALREADY been accepted, are going to be transferred that evening… but I still have to ask them 8 of the stupidest questions the County can think of so that we have “additional paperwork for the file.” Add to that a few other program requirements where we’ve been straight up told “it isn’t that important, but we need a body there because it gets more grant money.” UGH! And security has gotten stupid strict. For two years… I didn’t have to sign in/out at the front desk, I didn’t have to go through a metal detector, I didn’t have to get wanded over… because (a) I work there; (b) I’m in/out of the building 19 times a day; and (c) it takes longer to go through that process than the amount of time I’m in my office. But two months ago- all that changed.

This is now my typical work day:
Arrive @8am to sign in, metal detector, wand…
go to my office to grab paperwork…
sign out, go to court…
return to office to sign in, metal detector, wand…
got to my office to file paperwork…
sign out, go to lunch…
return to office to sign in, metal detector, wand…
go to my office to work on paperwork, grab the new orders that got faxed over…
sign out, go to court…
return to office to sign in, metal detector, wand…
file paperwork, pick up interview schedule…
sign out, interview inmates…
return to office to sign in, metal detector, wand…
file paperwork…
sign out, go home.

So… yeah, that whole process on top of everything else is really making me start despising where I am.

Oh my… I’ve got about 12 other things planned but I seem to have written quite a lot as it is. I’ll post the rest in small blocks over the next few days, I guess. I do have a lot to say- and a potential… interesting issue developing? But for now I have dishes to wash, cocktails to invent, and a Destiny Fire Team Meet Up