Lady Fiend.

This is Part two. It has very little to do with part one, except that they are both things that have happened to me.

So I have a weird, complicated job that is hard to explain, so I’ve stopped trying to explain it. Mostly. But my Mother taught me that when you get a job, you do it and you do it well. This is not a common sentiment? That is one of the things I’ve learned this summer. Competency is something that I find incredibly attractive (Oo Boy. I see you filing that stack of papers before you’re asked. C’mere and let me holla at you), and that I aspire too. Competency is so hot right now. However, however, however, I seem to be in the minority in this regard. So I’ve been doing a lot of extra work, because my two group members suck their teeth so much they’re going to loose a tooth, and, like I was a sarcastic middle schooler, okay? But I have never rolled my eyes this much. I won’t go into my delicate sensibilities being offended by how rude and disrespectful a lot of these kids are, but. My delicate sensibilities, they are hurt.

So I do a lot of work, and it kind of pisses me off, but I do it anyway because it’s my job and no one else is going to do it. And we were told that we weren’t going to get overtime, so I was mostly doing this out of the “goodness” of my heart, i.e. I literally can’t comprehend not doing something you are tasked with, even if you’re only getting 30 hours of minimum wage for it. You do it cause it’s your job, the end. But last Friday I learned that I might (Might, might, maybe, we’ll see) be getting compensated for the extra work I’m doing. This made me happy (more money! maybe), but also, still pissed me off. I shouldn’t be getting compensated, possibly, for work that someone else should be doing. There is above and beyond, and there is picking up slack. I hate picking up slack, and something about (perhaps, could be, we’ll try) getting paid extra for it, sits with me funny.

I think this is what some people call Morals? Maybe, could be, we’ll get back to you.

Today went well. I will do doing a shitload of writing this summer, which is incredibly exciting. Writing and interviewing and putting together an arts journal. If all goes according to plan (what plan?) there should be a tangible object with my name attached to it by the end of the summer.

I miss having art I can hold.

That said, I will be “blogging” for the DCCOAS so I might save all of my angry job rants till after the summer, just in case. I have barely begun; it would blow to be fired. But there will still be normal rants? I don’t know, I am kind of an angry person and not very good at holding that anger in. WHAT CAN YOU DO? But yes, today went well, I am optimistic, Truefacts job starts tomorrow, I am joining a gym(?), I made a delicious cheesecake, and I did not make too many snide comment in my head.

I am also going to make a second tumblr to dump my “creative” streamsofconsciouness (I like it better as one word). My writer’s block has left like a bird in winter and I am embracing this before it returns. It may or may not be linked here, who knows.

A link for your time.

Today = Still moving forward

Have been frustrating, to say the least. I’m not here to gripe, well no actually this is my blog and I can bitch all I want, but I’m so done with this job thing, so I’ll keep it short (Note: Not actually short).

The Summer Youth Employment Program (Shit, The Kids Need To Do Stuff So They Don’t Kill Each Other), started by our “lovely” Mayor, basically provides jobs to DC youth ages 14-21, or at least it’s supposed too. These “jobs” range from getting assigned to a national park that sends you home every day after half an hour because they don’t need you, to a White House Internship that has you working 9-5 every day. My position is with the, let’s call it the “DC Commission On Artsy Shit” (DCCOAS), and it falls in between. The job has two parts; let’s call them “Dubious Art Project” and “More Legit TrueFacts Job.”

The Dubious Art Project takes place in Anacostia. Anacostia is in South East DC. SE is known for its gun violence. The wall right across from the building we work in used to be a “murder wall.” It had the name and date of death for everyone in the neighborhood who had been killed. It was nearly full. Now, there are really nice parts of SE, and where I’m working doesn’t look (mostly) like the projects, but I’ve lived here for a really long time, and prior to this summer, had only been in Anacostia once. I was doing clean-up on the Anacostia River, so it kind of doesn’t count. Now, I will be spending all of my Tuesdays in Anacostia. You can’t imagine my  joy.

The DAP has many parts: a mural, 3 documentrais, and a radio program all about Anacostia. I am on the Radio Program, and by August we’ll hopefully have a half-hour  segment that will go on NPR. Whoo, NPR! The downside is that all of the other “deliverables” (the official term for the DAP’s) need research and “stories,” and my group is responsible for all of them. Read: Now that Alexis has started doing Real! College! Reaserch! It will never stop.

We met the artists we’ll be working with, and they are totally legit. It’s mostly the DCCOAS that’s failing. They are, and I quote, “building this ship as we sail it.” Now I’m not a shipwright, but that sounds like a very Bad Idea. But hey! I’m Not In Charge. I do have some hope for the Dubious Art Project.

Now, the More Legit TrueFacts Job still hasn’t started. I secured the position of Press and Media Assistant at an art gallery awhile ago. I’ve been e-mailing my boss for like weeks, but she can’t have me start till STKNTDSSTDKE says I can start. Which is now next Wednesday, more than a week after I was supposed to start. Instead, I’ve been going to “orientations” for two days to get placed at a position I already had, or, like yesterday, not needing to go into “work” till 4:30, when I had to interview for a position I already had. The interview started at 5:00, and I basically made jokes the entire time. But my boss said they liked me, so bully for me!

Today all I had to do was turn in 4 different pieces of writing, 3 of which I conveniently already had. This will count for my hours this week since technically, STKNTDSSTDKE started on Monday. Whoops?

This was not short at all, but there’s really no concise way of explaining this. But! In happier news, the cupcakes at Border’s are really good and I have a cute new vest. Priorities!

This Week= God, is it over?