Friday, September 29, 2006

I'm home early tonight. It feels nice to know that I'll be in bed before 1 a.m. Or at least by 1 a.m. I was out a little late last night. Drinking beer with your friends on a school night is not always the best idea. Especially when it's with T.O. We start talking and the next thing you know four hours has passed and the six pack is gone. We talk about everything. Art, theatre, music, politics, life. It's nice. I don't have anyone that I talk to like that in NYC. I actually admitted to T.O. that I missed these long chats when I am there. It was a moment of sappiness but I think he appreciated it. Well as much as a straight man can.

Work is going okay. It's been so stressful for the past two weeks that I was beginning to wish that I had never taken the job. It's gotten better. It's not great. But it is better. I work with two men who don't have it in them to communicate with me what they want or need. The boss never talks to me at all. He says hello in the morning and good-bye in the evening and that's it. I have no idea if he thinks I am doing an okay job or if I suck at my job. The first assistant isn't any better. T.O. and I talked about this last night and he thinks the first assistant is all about class structure. I am above you so I have the right to treat you like shit. Order you around and never say please or thank you.

I don't work well with either of them. I need to know what you want and expect. I need to know if I am doing the job well. I also need to be treated with respect. I'll do whatever you ask. But be nice about it and say please and thank you. Not getting any kind of feedback has played serious tricks with my head. I think I am a fuck up. I think I suck at my job. I think I am not talented and should get out of the business.

When in fact the real thing that I have come to realize is that I am not a very good assistant. I do much better when I am in charge and have an assistant. I am not organized enough to keep others organized. I need someone to keep the numbers straight for me. To take my notes and keep them in order. Ultimately they should hire me for the job next time and let me hire my own two assistants. And I would require them to say please and thank you after every request. And I would get my own coffee. This will happen one day. In the meantime I just need to keep ahead of the game, try not to piss anyone off and just remember that in two weeks this will all be behind me.

3 comments:

BriteYellowGun said...

Oooh...I hear ya on that no feedback thing. That always sucks and is never a good sign. Don't mean to scare you or anything, but when they ignore you, that's just not good usually. I'm not so much about being "in charge" although I am fine with it. Normally, I will tell employers point blank that, although I work just fine with teams/groups, I am much better on my own. If you want something done right.... Thankfully, those are the kinds of jobs I usually take...where I am just left alone.

Larry said...

Well at least you've got the right attitude :) It's kind of funny bacause I'm very much the assistant type. I like taking notes and trailing behind people like a secretarial kidney dialysis machine :)

A Bear in the Woods said...

I thought I invented making sappy comments to friends. I've learned to brace them for it by telling them, "Brace yourself, I'm going into Little Girl Mode now". They appreciate it when I give them advance notice. It seems to give them time to steady themselves against the shock.