Time, it goes so slowly and yet it’s racing by. Sometimes I wonder if that is a paradox, or if we simply bend the time space ourselves? I remember seeing a diagram by Stephen Hawkins showing time space – thought I got it but not really. Wish I could “get” it and truly understand what time is!
There is so much information coming at us still, and so much disjointed “news”. It is no longer news that Trump is a criminal, a narcissistic, misogynistic, illiterate, sub-normal bully that is in charge of our nation. Once that was established I don’t understand why news, media, journalists keep on bringing more stories that simply prove the same thing? That is not news. If someone actually took a stand and spoke out and made a difference to bring these sad, sad last nearly four years to an end, that would be news!
I don’t want to be depressed but I am. I feel squashed by all the terrible events taking place around me: the increase in racism and discrimination to not only black and brown people, but LGBQT people, other nations, the Islamaphobia sweeping the world, the lack of empathy I see in my community, the ignorance of others, the intolerance, the destruction of my grand children’s future, the destruction of the environment, … Has one single good thing been accomplished by this administration since the last election? I can’t think of one and I am trying, so yes I am depressed.
Trying to get out of being depressed and finding something concrete to do besides reading. So when I saw an email from San Diego County for job applicant to help with the election, I decided to fill out an application. And I did. It was a bit of a challenge because I have never had a resume, so I had to talk about myself in free form. Then all the questions about previous employment and so on. I have been self employed for by far most of my life, and those don’t really fit on forms. But, I figures I have nothing to lose. To my surprise a few days later I got an email asking me to come in for an interview! So two days later I got myself ready to go for my first interview since 1969 in England. Of course, I felt nervous! On the other hand, I don’t need the job but think it would be interesting to see how an election works.
The evening before the interview, I received another email telling me that I was expected to make a presentation, and they sent me a powerpoint package. I looked at it, and there were eight slides, and some notes, so I printed out the slides and the notes, and arranged them. I arrived at the place and was let in. A friendly lady took me up to the second floor in an almost deserted large county building, The Registrar of Voters. Another friendly face was in the room at a desk, and the two ladies asked me to sit “in the teacher’s place” at a desk facing them. They asked some questions and then asked me to do the presentation. Since I am a Toastmaster that was no problem- I even spoke louder so they could hear me, and smiled often and asked them if they had any questions.
After the presentation they asked me more questions, taking turns. About my management style -I have never thought of myself as having a management style? It became interesting, I found, since the questions lent themselves to me explaining what I thought of various situation in management and employees, more like what was my opinion about “this” or “that.” We were all wearing masks and one of the ladies was a little hard to understand behind her mask so I had to ask her to repeat her questions several times, and wondered to myself if she minded that. I talked a little about the experiences at the restaurant and our employees there, with my real estate career, and even was able to talk about my quest for provenance of our copy
of the Nuremberg Chronicle,
and
showing that it had been once in the Rotschild Library at Tring. They spent an hour with me, and did a lot of smiling and laughing and seemed to like my responses, which, of course, pleased me. Realistically, though, I doubt that I will get the job. I had not realized what it was, I thought perhaps a worker at a polling station or something like that. It was for the Trainer of the managers for the 235 Superpolls[ing stations] in San Diego county. The ladies thanked me very much for coming, and I told them I thought they were a friendly and supportive audience. The give their notes, and my application the HR department who then makes the selection.
But, I enjoyed the experience, and the challenge to me. Putting myself in a situation where I was not in control, and where I would be evaluated against others, was a novel experience for me. Why was I nervous? Because I don’t want to fail, because I don’t want to appear ignorant, because I want to show that I can do it, I guess.
Those interviews in 1969? One was for sales lady at Selfridges, which I got. I was paid £4 15 shillings a week, and was stationed at the perfume counter. I had to wear a white blouse and black skirt, and after 3 weeks I had had enough. My second interview was for language editor at the
Linguaphone Institute, and I got the job. I was paid £21 per week (a lot of money at that time), and shared an office with one other lady in a house in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, The house had three floors, and was built in the 1600s, was freezing in winter but we all who worked there loved it. My colleague was a fun lady and she had an interminable feud with the pidgeons. We were so close to Trafalgar Square that there were pidgeons everywhere and they would sit on the window sills outside out windows and poop, she put up a sign “Keep London Clean, Eat a Pidgeon a Day.” I loved the job and really liked my boss, Michael Gausden. He would take me to the National Portrait Gallery which was kitty corner down the street, at lunch time. We would listen to a reading at one of the portraits, and then go to Soho to have lunch and talk about the reading. Michael was very kind to me, and he helped me enormously. It was because of him, and his encouragement and active help that I got an extra mural degree in English literature and language from Cambridge.
The last time I saw him was in the 1990s when I was in London; he invited me to lunch at his club and he tactfully asked me if I had become Americanized, or if I had brought a frock since his club preferred ladies to look like ladies.
Long time ago but it seems like yesterday. J