Yes, I’m having a “love-hate relationship” with my job right now. I bet most of y’all go through that, too. I am relieved that there are times that I love it, because I know there are some people who despise the work they do to make a living. I realize I’m fortunate, and I try not to complain too much.
That nursery rhyme is running through my head: “There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good. When she was bad, she was horrid!”
That describes my job perfectly. When I get to tell stories to the audience, I think I’m in heaven. I love making people laugh, watching their faces as they get engaged in a story, and making them use their imaginations. In those moments, I would tell you that there is no finer job than mine. That’s the “very, very good” part.
This week is especially wonderful, because I’m performing for 6th graders in Frisco ISD (one of the districts for which I prefer to work). I have to admit that kids in 6th grade are special favorites of mine. They are old enough to “get it,” but usually they are still young enough not to have an attitude (usually is the operative word). It’s been a treat all week working with them, except that I’m suffering exhaustion (I see a doctor next Monday, and I’ll know more). I get home in the afternoon, and my energy is spent. All I’ve done this week is fall in bed when I get home and sleep through until morning. If you have been trying to contact me, I barely look at the computer. Sorry.
I’d be having a blast, even exhausted, if I didn’t have the horrid part to deal with at the same time. What’s the horrid part? Paperwork and pencil pushers! Unfortunately, most of my work time is spent dealing with that. It’s how I get paid.
Frisco is easy. I have worked for them before, so they have the paperwork they need to pay me. I send an invoice and I get a check. They are very organized.
However, I’m pulling my hair out over another gig. Though I have worked for them before (this year), they need duplicate paperwork. I’m not sure they have a filing system in their district. They want me to fax documents at the last minute, and everything is an “emergency!”. Fax my signature and Social Security number to a school office? Nope. Not gonna happen.
What’s that quote? “Poor planning on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on mine?” I’d love to say that applies, but if I don’t deal with their “emergency,” then I’m the one who will suffer. I won’t get paid. And, their accountants don’t care!
That means I have to fill out the paperwork a third time and find a post office in Frisco today to mail documents to them. I’ve already mailed them to the school once (and they should have already had them from the first time I worked for them). The first time I mailed them, the papers “didn’t get delivered” to the right person. How scary is that? Now, I feel compelled to register the letter!
That’s horrid!
No telling what happened to the stuff I’ve already sent. There may already be hundreds of people out there with my name and Social Security number. If you meet me, ask for identification!
