Fun with tanks and horses

This is a very busy week at work. I am working extremely late two nights, putting in 13 hour days. Yesterday was one, and today is another. Last night I attended a National Night Out neighborhood party where I manned a table with information on a project we are proposing for a major stretch of road in the area. It was actually quite a nice party with a good band, people dancing, kids having fun, plenty of food, and attractions to keep everyone engaged.

The attractions included groups and organizations with tables set up to make information available, like mine. I noticed that the tables giving away something, anything, had the largest numbers of visitors. It didn’t matter if it was a pin you could clip onto your shirt, a bumper sticker, blow-up beach ball or a fabric shopping bag, people just love to get something for free.

Other attractions involved the mobile precinct from the police bureau, a tank from the FBI, and fire engines. The most popular, by far, were the horses of the police’s mounted patrol. I use to work closely with the commander at Central Precinct, who commanded that unit. He always said if he had a dollar for every time someone petted one of the horses, he would never have a funding problem. They really are great horses!

Every time I looked over at the FBI tank the same little boy was hanging out the top hatch with a big grin on his face and having the time of his life. If possession is 9/10 of the law, that child now owns a tank. “Mom, look what I brought home!”

Tonight I’ll be working late with a community action committee for an upcoming, very large and high profile project. I’m pretty sure there will be no band, no ice cream, no horses and no excited kids. Few of will be having any fun at all.

Suprise award

Yesterday I received an email from the Employee Recognition Committee, telling me I had been nominated for and will receive a Values Award. To be considered for this award you must be nominated by a co-worker. I was a little confused because I had nominated someone for this award. I thought maybe they had made an email mistake and sent it out the person who did the nominating. Color me surprised when Leland told me I would be receiving the award, and that I had been nominated by no less than four different people. WOW! I was a little speechless, and embarrassed.

It’s really great to be acknowledged by your peers for the work you do. It is also great when someone you have nominated receives an award too, so I’m very happy to report that Bill (the person I nominated) is also receiving an award. J Of course I will now have to find a place to hang my new award. I have three others at my desk: a Blue Heron Award (our bureau award for outstanding work by an individual or group – mine was for work as park of a group), the Queen of Portland Trivia granted to me for my demonstrated knowledge of useless trivia, and my Certificate of Excellence from a co-work that certifies that I received in recognition of outstanding service for “Damn Near Everything.” Luckily I just move and have cleaned up a lot of junk I had hung up at my old cubical so I have some wall space. So I guess all things happen for a reason.

Tuesday, all the downtown employees will gather for our awards event. (We have employee at three basic locations, so there are events at each location. This keeps us all close to work, and only our bureau director has to trek around the city.) Anyway, on Tuesday Dean (our Director) will read the nominations as they were submitted, and present the awards. It’s a nice time, there is usually some joking and laughing, typical of all events of this nature. I’m a little curious to hear why I was nominated. Of course I’m already worried about what to wear, where to sit, what to say, and not tripping as I walk up on the platform.

I don't want to move!!

I’ve worked for the City of Portland for 12 years. The first six I worked for the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI), a much over worked and under funded bureau. The phrase “Rode hard and put up wet” is a very good description of what it is like to work there. After six years of intensive work with the public on crime prevention issues, budget cuts and union issues I was exhausted. For nine months after leaving them I worked for the Bureau of Development Services (BDS) as a code inspector and had one of the greatest bosses I’ve ever had the honor of working for. He actually took me aside and told me to slow down, that I was working too hard! To this day, I swear that directive is the reason I’ve stayed sane. (No comments from the peanut gallery!!) After leaving there, a much saner person, I went to work for the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) doing community outreach for construction projects.

Now here’s the thing, at ONI the budget was so tight I had to drive my own car on city business, carry my own person cell phone, flex days instead of getting overtime pay and constantly figure out how to get things done with no money. – This actually meant that things were not done to a satisfactory level. – And, little things like office equipment, office space, and moving expenses were pretty much non-existent. At BES I was only in the office for a very short period of time each day, I was visiting compliant site most of the day, in a City car. I had everything I needed to get the job done in a proper way.

At BES I again have all the resource I need to do my job. Nothing extravagant, but what I need without adding undue hardships and stress. Well, that is except a constant work space. In five years my workstation has been moved three times. Or at least it will have been three times by the end of this week. Oddly enough I’m ending up right back where I started. All three spaces are within 30 feet of each other. Moving is a stressful process, and aggravating beyond belief. It takes one day to get it all packed up, then another day to have it moved, and a third day to get everything set up again the way you want it. I really like my current space and I’ve been very resistant to this move, but its here now and I’m trying to accept it. Ok, maybe I’m not trying as hard as I could, but cut me some slack! I’m giving up storage! Do you know how valuable storage is? I have no idea how I’m going to fit everything in at the new/old location.

There’s the fart/burp factor to consider as well. I’ve been known to be a little gassy and right now I’m in a cubical all by myself. Starting Monday I will be sharing a pod area with two co-worker and an empty station for a third. I’m going to have to be on constant alert for escaping gases, and vacate the area at the first signs of a gas leak. I’m also going to have to watch the level of my voice on the phone. I’m not good at self awareness on this level!! To put it mildly, I’m a little freaked!

My closest pod mate (I don’t want to be a pod person!!) has a map and paper fetish. He is physically incapable of throwing out either one. As a result his cubicle is filled to overflowing. This does not bode well for my future since there will now be no barriers between our work stations. If you don’t hear from me, check under the pile of papers and maps.

The good news? I’ll still have a window and I’ll be slightly closer to the printer. I’m hanging onto that thought with both hands!

Job avoidance and angry cleaning

Have you ever noticed how much you can get done when you’re trying to avoid something else? For instance, there is this big mailing I need to get out at work, and I just can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t know why. I’ll get done tomorrow because that’s the deadline I’ve set, but I could have done it today or yesterday, but I just couldn’t get myself to do it. I even tried a couple of times, but nope couldn’t do it. I did however get my desk pick up, organized some files, got some filing done, submitted work request forms for two projects, and compiled cost estimates for two other projects. A lot of work, but the one big thing I could have been doing.

It’s kind of like cleaning the house. I clean best when I’m totally pissed off. I get mad and pretty soon there is no dirt or mess safe from my wrath. All that energy focused on dirt and grim, as well as letting off steam. Don’t get in my way unless you want a high gloss finish. I take no prisoners. I of course, clean at times other then when I’m not angry, but it tends to lack a certain residual energy.

What a Nickel Buys

I am the employ of a west coast city. My current work involves large public works projects for which I provide community relations services. This means I notify people of the project, its scope, and impacts. I also work with neighbors and business to address concerns and deliver meaningful input to the design.

I have worked in community relations in this city for 13 years, 8 in crime prevention and 5 on public works projects. I love my job, I’m very good at it, and I work with an awesome team and an amazing public. I have literally seen it all, heard it all, and been abused and loved by the public in the extreme at various times.

I can’t tell you what it means when someone takes the time to send me a card, email, note, or letter to acknowledge the work I’ve done. It’s very true that people are much more likely to do these things when they are unhappy, as opposed to when they are happy. So, take a moment and let your public employees know when you appreciate them, in writting.

On the other hand, here are few tips for when you’re unhappy with us:

#1 “Why do you have do this here? Its going to mean I have to park my car in the next block.” Answer: We have to do it here because this is were the problem is, or this is best place to save money and time. -- As much as a project may inconvenience you personally, remember its not all about you. Its about the greater good, and it is never personal. Frankly, we’re too busy to be pitty; we have 20 or 30 other projects we’re dealing with at the same time and 20 or 30 more coming on-line soon. So we really aren’t trying to make your life impossible. We’re just trying to get the work done.

#2 “We might want to put a driveway in there one day. Why didn’t you think about that in your design?” Answer: We had no idea you were thinking of putting in a driveway. We knew that there might be issues we couldn’t anticipate. That is why we have sent you three different mailings, held two public meetings and left you our business cards. We wanted to know if you had any concerns. -- If you have a problem call us right away, don’t wait, or it may be too late to make adjustments. We want to make the project work for as many people as possible and will make adjustment to the plan as much as we can to address your issues, if konw about them in time. We’re working with public money and trying to stay on schedule and be responsible. We can’t help you with your problem if we don’t know you have one. As many things as we try to anticipate, we can't anticipate everything.

#3 “You have to do what I say, I pay your wages and I’m your boss!!” Answer: Well there is really no answer I can give publicly on this one. At this point you’re just wasting both our time. -- Don’t assume that the money we’re working with is local tax dollars. A lot of the money spent, especially on public works projects, come from federal grants, and billing revenue (water, sewer, etc).

What I’d really like to say to #3 is, “Here’s a nickel, call me in 5 years. Oh yeah, and keep the change.” There are about 300,000 individuals and businesses paying local taxes in my area. If you consider my salary against that, a lot of that nickel will be change. So, don’t make me reach for a nickel!!