May 7, 2013
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Not A Dull Moment
It has been one of those weeks. Rebekah, finally big enough to ride one of the racing bikes, was practicing in the neighborhood behind us, and fell, getting several nice scratches from the teeth of the sprocket down the inside of her thigh.
^This is a pic we took when we were fishing on a windy day when the family was up for Granny's funeral.
Below are Rebekah's battle scars. The stripes on the right leg are from the chainring on her bicycle and the bandage covers her recent stitches.
I worked Wednesday and Thursday, chipping off a piece of one of my molars during that route. I interviewed Friday morning, then had to go back in to learn to route the next day's trucks that evening. I had a nice bicycle ride around BWI airport after routing. The trail around the airport is just over 10 miles, but I continued riding for another 8 and was rewarded just before getting back to my car with a very rare sight, an almost completely white deer. I used the iphone to get a pic, so I couldn't zoom in, but it was an amazing thing to see, and he stood there and let me take his picture. I rode off and he was still standing, eating grass from the meadow.
The little white speck is the white deer about 50 yards away.
I slept in one of the trucks at work Friday night and headed out on my route Saturday morning, only to find that a filling had fallen out on the other side of my mouth. Already had an appointment with the dentist for this coming Tuesday, so no worry. I made two uncharacteristic mistakes on my route, and I had to go back and fix them, adding over 100 miles to my route, but the bosses prefer that to having to send out another truck, so they typically give you a pat on the back for finding your own errors and fixing them. I rolled back in to our yard just in time to do the routing for Monday's routes, then jumped in the car and headed home. Today, as evidenced by the bandage in the picture above, Rebekah fell off her scooter onto a piece of metal which scooped out a nice little divot of skin, so it was off to the urgent care to get stitches, then out to Cracker Barrel for dinner with just she and Tina and I, just as a little comfort for all her trouble this week. (She, too, lost a filling yesterday, and will accompany me to the dentist tomorrow.)
Now, it is a waiting game. I have to continue to practice routing the trucks two days a week and cover my regular routes until they hire a new team leader within the month. I'm sort of hoping that team leader is me, but either way I'll at least know where I stand in the company and what my chances are of moving up. Also, when the process is over, I'll be back to doing just one job, either learning to run the transportation department or being a delivery driver. This waiting is killing me, though. I'm really trying not to get my hopes up, but the team leader job would mean not only steady pay but also most weekends off, so it is a difficult thing to suppress the rising tide of hopefulness. As with any other endeavour in life, time marches slowly on, and the process will end whether in my favor or that of another candidate. Though I will be disappointed if they hire someone else, the process has been a real joy. I have loved the challenge and the intense effort of learning quickly how to write a resume. Enumerating the things that would make me a good leader has been an enlightening exercise and if nothing else has given me a confidence I did not earlier possess. Also, the interview process is a huge challenge to me and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. When your turn comes, you have one chance to get it right. Every word and expression counts and can't be undone. It is a heady experience.
Yes, times are exciting at our house, but we will be glad for them to calm down a bit. How is spring 2013 treating you?
Comments (5)
First, I hope Rebekah's leg is healing well -- that sounds like a nasty fall or two. And I hope the dental work wasn't too awful for either of you!
You sound like you're doing a bit more than just waiting at this point -- I hope they choose you, as it has sounded a) as if they were grooming you for the job, and b) as if you are the best candidate. Even if you don't get the job, it will have been a good exercise/challenge, and you'll be better for it! Good luck!
The resume writing comments are interesting too -- I once thought about changing career tracks -- the first thing I did was to write a "skills resume.' I was amazed at the possibilities that opened up for me in my thought pattern -- I ended up staying on the career path I was on, but it was an interesting exercise!
Again, good luck!
Good luck, I hope the job situation turns out well!
I didn't know there were white deer. That's amazing! Hope the dentist visits go well, and hope Rebekah's leg heals well.
Hoping for the best with the job.
You definitely had some eventful days.
Sounds like you need a new dentist, either that or stop eating those corn nuts
Seriously, you have my sympathy; trips to the dentist are pretty low on my list of fun things to do. Crashing on a bike though, is right near the top. You know you're having all the fun you can possibly have when you push the envelope just a hair too far. Rebekah, you GO girl!