I’m addicted to CrackBerry. Damn this job!

I’m actually going to talk about being a librarian. I felt it was necessary due to my supervisor confirming the fact that I’m an afterthought around here. Yesterday, he asked me to complete the manager’s portion of my performance review, because he does not know what I do. Yes, you heard me. He actually said that, and then I did my own performance review. This is really the least of my worries in the dysfunctional place that I call work, and just another reason why it’s hard for me to get up and go there every morning.

It did get me to thinking about a list of library director tasks I saw a while ago, and how at the time I thought I could adapt it to my daily tasks and maybe convince someone somewhere that I do have the skills and experience to do something other than just library work. The question is can I send something like this along with my resume for the people outside the library world that just don’t get it?

Printing and web-based email capabilities restored on student computers! The world rejoices!!!

The Librarian tries to act shocked when her supervisor requests that she also complete his portion of her annual performance review, but she had a feeling something like this would happen based on past experience with the clowns in upper management around this place who tend to forget the Library exists.

Now the dipshits want to give me a Blackberry! Is this a bribe?

Another Houston Roller Derby season, another year full of bout posters…

Our opening bout this year should be interesting. I’m waiting to see if my hearing will be restored by then, even though the doctors don’t know why I have significant hearing loss. Seems like the infections that were so obvious a couple of weeks ago have now subsided and left this nagging pressure behind. It’s really there, people! I’m not making this up. Believe me, I’m not enjoying meeting my $400 insurance deductible in one month. Also, it’s hard to skate in a pack when you can’t hear properly. Now I realize those eyes in the back of my head were actually my ears. It should be fairly easy to take me out if I can’t hear you coming, and I’ve been confirming that in the last couple of practices. Ouch.

Another interesting side note to this bout is Hannah Montana’s performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on the same day. I think the similarities in both our audiences might surprise some people. In other words, her sold out show should affect our attendance. Prove me wrong, and buy a ticket to March Masquerade online!

So, I know I gripe about MPOW a lot. Surprisingly enough, I’ve been here two years…it pays relatively well, the drive is easy, and there’s the little to no stress factor. Why do I gripe then?

Two weeks ago, a print server went down for good. The students’ print server…meaning spoiled-ass-rotten students who are accustomed to printing whatever they want whenever they want for FREE can suddenly not print anything. It’s so much fun to try explaining this to people who don’t speak English very well, even if it’s their first language. Seriously. The server has not been replaced yet, since it took IT a week to order it because “they” were not going to approve the purchase until the CFO over the entire company made a surprise visit to Houston.

Today, “they” finally put in place a block on employee access to web-based email that “they” have been threatening for a while. Well, of course it’s the big cluster f*** that every project becomes around here, and students can’t access web-based email either. So while I’m saying, “No, you still can’t print”, I’m also saying, “Hey, guess what, you can’t check your email either! But don’t feel bad because it’s my punishment for being stupid enough to work here and not yours for being stupid enough to give your money to a diploma mill.” Love my job!

So, what it all boils down to is I’m pretty good at responding to personal emails within a reasonable amount of time, but I’m not going to be able to do that as long as I’m sitting at my boring-ass job for ten hours a day. Thank God they quit blocking myspace and haven’t figured out that they should block yahoo groups, too. Just a couple more reasons why it’s so hard to stay yet so hard to say goodbye.

I skated in my very first away bout this Saturday and also dealt with the added pressure of captaining a team of all-stars. Not to mention the pressure in my ears from a lingering infection mixed with the altitude. Sound like a fun-filled weekend?
Pffft.

Our expectations were high coming into it. HaRD Knocks is an extremely talented team filled with the leading blockers and scorers from HRD. In the WFTDA-sanctioned bout against the Pikes Peak Derby Dames, we were up against a team with no previous interleague wins. HaRD Knocks has a few under our belt, so we felt strong. We believed we were more evenly matched with the team we scrimmaged against on Sunday, the Rocky Mountain Rollergirls. Boy, were we wrong.

I haven’t felt very secure in my beliefs or my skills since halftime of the Pikes Peak bout. We were up by 20 and thought we were overcoming the difficulties of an old, slick skating surface, a crowd cheering like crazy for their home team, and a mostly inexperienced group of referees. Then we managed to score in only 5 out of 17 jams in the second half and ended up losing by 20. It actually should have been a closer gap, but the celebration had already started when we were scoring some points on the final jam. Please pardon my pettiness.

Sunday was even worse, performance-wise. We didn’t wake up until the second half, and by then, the damage was done. Once we realized that it would be almost impossible to make up the deficit, it seemed like the pressure was off and we skated like I knew we could. Even though we lost by almost 40 points, it felt much closer and friendlier.

HaRD Knocks is still looking forward to a great season. We have a tough practice schedule before our next bout(s) in May. Even people we don’t know think we have a chance.

I haven’t been very nervous about traveling to Colorado for this

on Saturday night, and this

on Sunday afternoon…

Until I woke up this morning underwater. Antibiotics start working in two days, right? Because I think my eardrums might shatter if I have to get on a plane with them feeling like they do right now.