More in Book Two: The Fifteenth Year of the Third Millennium of the Common Era

It is funny… when I post the entry I started this morning… it may well make no sense as it will come after the previous entry about the Photo Album and this entry. But ah well. The things that happen.

Right now, I’m in a rambling mood and have the time to do it. Like many things government… things are hurry up and wait; or ItHasToGetDoneNow; or yeah yeah yeah hold your horses.... but the little guy at the bottom of the totem pole (hi! that’s me) is the one that has to snap to. Which is where we are now. I have three more “Mods” to call for tonight. A “mod” is a grouping of inmates that share a central sub-holding area. Each mod is required one hour of Law Library Time per week. So… having 3 mods to call means I have 3 more hours here. But I can’t call them at the moment… 3:00 is formal count, all inmate movement must stop.

Okay. My boss calls me and asks me to do some detailed inmate interviews. There are 6 he wants completed. These interviews will require that I physically go into the Mods and interact with the inmate. Something that can make LTs nervous. I’m not going to interfere with Counts because the LTs have to do that… so I have to wait until counts are over for that as well. But, here’s the great news… these interviews have to be completed and mailed by 5 pm. So… I have a task (times 6) that by its nature could create problems… and I need to do it very quickly. Now… add that up a bit more and look at some of what I have tonight.

These interviews will take NO LESS than an hour to complete and mail out.
Three mods for tonight will require (typically) 3.5 hours as we have to wait for dinners and inmate transfers and other interruptions. And all of this has to wait for Counts and Lock Downs to lift. So… having arrived at 9 am… it looks like the earliest I can expect to leave here is… oh… 8 pm or abouts. And… I have felony court tomorrow.

Yes, it is insanely impressive hours. For a part time job, I should be very pleased that this job will continue to provide me 40 hours of work or more. However… it must be acknowledged that I am currently doing my job and the job of two people who quit. I have impressed upon my superiors that I am still very actively looking for legitimate full time work in Iowa and may leave at any moment. That being said… of the two people who have actually gone… and the ME that is trying to leave but now doing 3 people’s work… my bosses have decided that they should hire… someone to do 10% of my original job. What? SO… you have two people already gone… and me stretched as thinly as I can before I start suing the state for Health Benefits as a Full Timer.... and your solution was to hire someone to work two days a week doing the most basic parts of what I once did?

Oh… and the new hire says she can’t stay in the summer as she “goes home for break.” So… clearly not a real solution. When pressed as to how soon they’ll begin to look for a real solution… I am told January. Are you kidding me? If I do a full 2-3 months pulling 40 hours… you’d better believe I’ll look into what else I’m owed as a, now apparently, full time employee!

Just… lots more reason to hope the Keokuk or DRI interviews go well. Not like I wasn’t really hoping those would go well already, lol.