Last Day
Well, today is my last day at this job. It turns out that the total number of hours a person can work as a temp for the City and County of San Francisco is 1040 and it does not turn over with either the new fiscal year or the new calendar year, and perhaps not even with a new 12-month period. I got a 2-week notice two weeks ago, but because of the questions about the turn over, I wasn't sure until last Friday. Friday the 13th with a full moon.

It's an interesting mix of feelings. The good news is that my leaving happens to coincide with the return of the "old regime" and, well, I don't feel too bad about not working under the old regime. Not that anyone's bad or awful, just a major difference in personal and work style. I'm not entirely without prospects, but it's not like I'm walking into a full time job that I know of (I have a couple of part-time gigs and a promising temp opportunity, and they're certainly more career-related than this was). So I've been experiencing (alternately or together) relief, anxiety, elation. Am I being liberated from drudgery or thrown out in the street without a regular paycheck?

Yesterday I was taken out to lunch in honor of my departure. It was funny because I hadn't showered (water was turned off that AM for utility co. maintenance and we didn't see the notice on the door) and I was wearing the same clothes as the day before (because they were pretty much clean and I was seeing an entirely different set of people who wouldn't know). Except for my boss and the Old Regime, none of the people I worked closely with or developed relationships with came--I don't know if they were invited and I wasn't sure about the etiquette of inviting them myself--and at least one person I didn't know well but who was a friend of the Old Regime's was there.

I also didn't have much time, since I found out when I walked in that morning but at least there was the courtesy of asking me whether a Japanese place was ok. I said it wasn't because it might overemphasize seafood, which I do not eat, and my boss suggested an Ethiopian place which I had no problem with, and which we went to despite the apprehension of about half the invitees. One of them had never had Ethiopian food, but I told her it was not entirely unlike Indian food (she had previously asked me to recommend an Indian restaurant in SF since her favorite was closing) so she asked the waiter/manager what they had that was like Chicken Tikki Masala or Maklawana [sic].

I guess the way I've described it, it sounds like a let-down, but my expectations were very low so I wasn't disappointed. I felt like it was the last day of school and I had a humorous attitude about the whole lunch thing, so it was actually pretty funny.

So anyway, today I am just clearing out my desk and trying to take care of loose ends, delegate things on my "to-do" list that won't get done by me, etc. I might try to put together some information for whoever takes over the job next, beyond what I assembled for myself. I have learned a lot of things of various kinds working here, and if I have time tomorrow I might blog about that.

Meanwhile, I am just hoping I don't get sentimental when I turn in my badge and keys. I already got a little touchy-feely saying goodbye to my office supplies. I have a special bond with them, you know, because when the previous employee left this desk she raided it, so when I came on one of my first tasks was selecting all these babies from the Office Depot catalog. Now they're all laid out to sleep in the bottom drawer, almost like a funeral or a cryogenic chamber or something. I am debating whether to liberate some of them or not (I probably won't). Besides the rubber bands and pens, the one item that calls out to me is my Calypso staple remover. It is a thing of beauty and function, and I will remember it always.
- posted by k @ 11:56 AM