April 11, 1990
Dear Everyone:
I’m working in Company Park today and so, do not
have access to my beloved PC.
I’m writing this on the mainframe computer via a terminal in the
Learning Center in Building F.
Tomorrow, I will have about an hour in the morning before I have
to dash off to a class (something called “Achievement Through Goal
Setting”). So, tomorrow
morning, I will attempt to transfer this file from the mainframe to my
PC, re-format it and send it to the printer.
If that doesn’t work (I’ve never “imported” anything to
WordPerfect before), I’ll just print it off the mainframe.
That’s my “window of opportunity” for this week:
7:00-8:15 Thursday.
The rest of the week, I’m working out of the office.
But that’s not the really big news.
The really big news is what’s been going on in the “Livermore”
Records Center.
There are a number of “main” Records Centers,
“Livermore”, “Hobby”, “Austin”, “Lafayette”, plus some “little” Records
Centers that act as “satellites” of the main ones.
I understand one of these little “Records Centers” is actually
some shelves in a room over the showers at one of the refineries.
But “Livermore” is by far the largest and,
certainly, the closest.
(Right now, it’s about a 10 minute drive down I-680 from where I’m
sitting.) It is also the
most vocal. “Jorja Trout”,
the Supervisor at the “Livermore” Records Center had considerable input
to how CRMIS, our computer system, works, sometimes to the detriment of
Records Management. (“Jorja”
is short for XXX, and is pronounced “Georgia”; another case of someone
who doesn’t know how to spell her own name.)
“Jorja” always made sure that her people got what
they needed, during the development of CRMIS, whether anybody else got
what they needed (or even wanted) or not.
Very confident, opinionated; a strong lady.
I place her at 45-50-ish.
She wears designer frame glasses with pink tinted lenses.
Well!
When I was having lunch last Thursday with “Frances Paul” (one of our
CITC people who work on CRMIS), she asked me what I knew about the news
about “Jorja”. I replied:
“Huh?” Then she told
me what she knew, which was this:
Apparently, Wednesday afternoon, “Jorja’s” new boss (her old
boss, “Lance”, had been reassigned about 2-3 weeks ago) called her into
his office and told her that she would be starting work in “Pleasant
Hill” the next day, let’s go clean out your desk.
Needless to say, this came as a bombshell to
“Jorja” and all of her people.
Usually, if they’re going to do something like this, they do it
on a Friday afternoon so as to minimize the lost work time due to people
buzzing around like bees at a busted hive.
As it was, there were little pockets all over Company of people
who knew (or knew of) “Jorja” buzzing and speculating about who/what/why
and so on.
Friday morning, I asked “Rowena” if she wanted me
to buy her lunch that day.
(I don’t normally do this.
“Rowena” and I had a bet about the Academy Awards and I lost.
Loser buys the “cheap” lunch at Chevy’s Mexican restaurant.
The “cheap” lunch means ordering appetizers and then not having
room for lunch.) “Rowena”
came back later and said that she and “Murray” had planned to eat at
Chevy’s anyway and would I like to join them?
Sure.
About 10:30, “Murray” stopped by me desk to say
that he had been summoned to “Chris’s” office (“Chris” is our manager)
and that he didn’t expect to be late for lunch; but if he was, would we
wait for him? I said sure.
Of course, you can see what’s coming; but I was so busy trying to
do my own work that it came as a complete surprise when we were walking
to the restaurant and “Murray” announced:
“Well, it looks like I’m the new Supervisor for the “Livermore”
Records Center.”
Me, I hadn’t even got as far as thinking about who
would replace “Jorja”. But
“Rowena” yelled, “I knew it!”
So we went to lunch and talked about all the ramifications of
“Murray’s” new job and how it would affect him and us and what “Alma”
would do when she found out.
(If you can believe it, “Alma” had picked Friday to
be out of the office all day at an ARMA meeting about the upcoming
National Convention. Not
only that, but “Chris” 1, didn’t know where she was; 2, had no way to
contact her i.e., she didn’t leave a number where she could be reached.
This is a typical “Alma”-ism.)
Monday morning, “Alma” alluded to the fact that
“Murray” would be gone for at least 6 months (this is a “temporary”
assignment) and that she would have to reassign his current projects.
This morning, while I was trying to work on the computer, I kept
getting frantic messages from “Rowena”.
It seems that she and I have received all of “Murray’s” jobs.
I may find out more tomorrow morning when I’m (briefly) back in
the office.
This is a Good News, Bad News situation.
It’s good for “Murray”, of course.
It’s good for us, because now we’ll have a “friend” in the
“Livermore” Records Center.
And it’s good because it means that “Chris” will probably be paying more
attention to what we do. Up
until now, it has seemed more like we were a case of out of sight, out
of mind. The bad news is:
Lots more work for “Rowena” and me.
As it is, I’ve got stuff I haven’t been able to touch since
January.
Looks like interesting times ahead.
Speaking of work, I’d better get back to it.
Although, technically, I was still on my lunch break when “Tom
Harrison” stopped by to give me all kinds of detail about a report he
wants me to work on. So my
break should extend to make up the time.
However, it all comes out in the wash.
One of the advantages to working in the Park is that your own
people can’t interrupt you.
One of the disadvantages is that the CITC people can.
Their offices are right next door to the Learning Center and they
know that we’re in the habit of working here when we’re not in meetings.
Speaking of meetings, I had a meeting this morning
with “Justin Gonzalez” of CUSA “Winks”.
What makes this interesting is that “Jeannie” did a deposition
for him last week. Small
world department.
Love, as always,
Pete
PS. As
you can see from the little graphic (I’m having
such
fun with Graphics!), I
did manage to get this from the mainframe to the PC.
Another transferable (no pun intended) job skill.
P.
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