The Dude... Boss or whatever, he has decided he likes me so he put me on a new site.
This is less hours, extensive walking in the dark. The building is huge with several warehouses, offices, cubicles, and reception areas. I am to walk around for hours looking for silver dots to push a rod into, called a TOCO. The TOCO records where I was and at what time. There are research projects going on, there are angry owls waiting for my approach. The first night, the gentleman at that post was to take me around the site for two hours and "show me" there was great faith that I would understand my plight all too well. Being the sickening optimist, although.. a suspicious one, I jumped in with my usual enthusiasm and innocence.
He enjoyed talking, he is in his eighties and quite spree. I wrote notes, instructions, descriptions of where we walked and where the silver dots were, all to the background of his life story. I did not mind, but I was worried.. I know me very well.
After Jim left around 10:30 PM I was on my own. This meant aimless wandering around warehouses with no idea how to get out. Stairs, machinery, and signs that say, "DANGER DO NOT ENTER" were in my way. I found the boards that are put under pressure, I am to record what time they break. I am to open large over head doors to let in air, I am to check fans and machinery that I know nothing about.
I am not afraid of the dark, only what might be lurking in the dark... I wanted Lucy my trusty lab.. Or not so trusty, but company.
I found my way outside and began my long walk around the outer buildings, there were towers of various shapes and sizes. One was extremely antique,unused looking.It housed a family of angry owls. I admired their beauty and hoped they didn't dive bomb me. They did, a little, but not with a lot of ferocity. I felt they would not harm me anyway. But I did jump out of my shoes, (literally) when the first one screamed and flew toward my face.
I am not afraid of bats and birds usually, so I continued on my unsteady way. Eventually I found my way around the site, my shins hurt, I think I must have walked miles. I informed the boss the next day that I could not find all the dots in the dark, he said, if I was walking around looking, I was doing my job and not to worry. Easy for him to say, I hear there are others at that site that do care about those silver dots and will complain loudly when they see that I am not finding all of them.
HOWEVER.. part of me doesn't care, I am trying my best, I asked for another day of training, and I went last night.. same thing only worse, Jim figured he knew me now and talked incessantly and was reluctant to walk the site. So Tuesday I am going to show up on another person's shift without pay and walk it with them, I shall keep quiet about Jim and my problems finding my way, the less said the better. I have found that I give people a noose constantly and let them pull it around my neck. If only I was mute sometimes.
