Thursday, December 17, 2009

Working Girl

Today, for the first time ever, I made it to the corner just as a railcar was approaching. I took it as a good omen and quickly walked towards the open doors. I was too busy concentrating on getting a ticket out of my pocket that I didn't take the time to notice the capacity issues of this particular railcar - it was so full that people were standing on the steps of the entrances (which is illegal). I considered wedging myself in as well, but the conductor closed the door when he realized I wasn't acting as quickly as perhaps he'd want me to. Can we say rude?

I crossed the corner to Second Cup and got a muffin and some juice before returning to wait for another railcar. I'm not sure why they run at such inconsistent times, but it's very inconvenient. Eleven minutes later, a less full railcar approached and I was able to get on.

Work was chaotic. Salt + Light takes off the Wednesday before Christmas until January 4, which is a pretty nice break. However, because there is no one in the office, besides those managing the live TV feed, they have to produce their programs in advance to compensate. Everyone seemed busy with two or three projects today, trying to wrap voice overs up or finishing the editing of their special. So, fittingly, today was the day everyone realized they had an intern to use.

I've never been this busy since being at S+L - I kept getting things dropped off at my desk to work on. I like to think of myself as a typically organized person (the state of my apartment may suggest otherwise), so I like to complete projects one at a time. Today I felt overwhelmed as I had to jump from assignment to assignment. I was worried half the time that I would get tax receipts messed up, or something would get lost in all of the papers and I'd be accountable for messing something up.

I needed a break and a decent lunch. I tidied my desk, grabbed my coat and took my lunch break around 1:30. Typically for lunch I eat Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, saltine crackers, and a fruit cup - all things that can be bought at a convenience store and don't require refrigeration. I'm sure I could use the Sister's refrigerator, but this is just less complicated.

Today, the last thing I felt like eating was another bowl of soup. A lot of people bring their lunches in, but in the event that they forget, almost everyone gets a lunch from Spring Roll, a Thai restaurant a block from work. I don't usually eat Thai food because of allergies, but I was set on finding something to eat there; I just wanted a warm and filling meal. Thankfully, it was an "Americanized" Thai restaurant and I was able to get Chicken, rice, and veggies. It wasn't anything special, but it hit the spot - with out giving me an allergic reaction. So, lunch was successful.

I jumped back into my work in the afternoon. I finally thought to bring my iPod with me to work, so I listened to Christmas music as I made DVDs, alphabetized letters and filled out receipt forms. Somewhere in the middle of "Jingle Bell Rock", I heard someone call my name. I looked up to see a friend of mine from Marketing with a bunch of Christmas cards and labels in his hands.

He wanted me to hand address the Christmas cards Father Rosica would be sending out to each of the bishops of Canada and two Cardinals. He asked me how my handwriting was and picked up one of the papers I was working on to assess it. I felt myself cringe - my handwriting may be neat, but it's not cursive or loopy enough to be seen on the outer label of a Christmas card going to a bishop. He remarked it was good and I should have no problem. He dropped off 100 Christmas cards and envelopes, as well as a list for the correct spelling, and left me to work.

I turned back on my Christmas music, which seemed fitting for the task, and started to work. I didn't know if I had any extra evelopes, so I couldn't count on messing up. The whole thing was stressful. My hand tensed as I wrote every letter, careful to center everything straight across the card. Halfway through my work, we broke for mass.

I still haven't gotten over the whole having daily mass five feet from my desk thing. I just think it's such a great opportunity for everyone that works there. Plus, I was extra appreciative today because I was able to rest my hand.

Mass ended around 4:00 and I had to finish the cards before the day was over. I went back to my Christmas music and addressing and was able to finish everything by 4:30. I looked back on the cards and figured I had done a nice enough job. Thankfully, I got the same response when I turned them in - they were happy with the final product.

I left work a little after 5:00 and headed over to the Eaton Center, which is the mall in downtwon. Of course I still wasn't convinced I had something good to wear on camera for my Zoom tomorrow. I browsed the shops and was able to find a burgundy dress on clearance. I think I'll wear it tomorrow - and because it's one of my wedding colors, it'll be a little shout out to Ben.

As I was leaving the mall, I was met with a crowd of people outside. Unknown to me at the time, the Olympic torch had just made its way through downtown Toronto on its way to Vancouver, which will be hosting the Winter Olympics in just a few weeks. The mass of people that had congregated to see this was ridiculous. Traffic was completely stopped, which - unfortunately for me - meant no railcar. Get home was intense - I had to walk several blocks against a stream of people flowing back from the event. Finally, I made it to the center of all of the commotion. They had Olympians taking photos with people, but I didn't see the torch. Apparently, they also had a protest by the Native Canadians. All I could hear was "No! (mumble, mumble)" I was later told that they didn't want the torch on their land.

I had to walk the whole way home. It was freezing and I was exhausted. I think the total trip took about 45 minutes or so. On the way home I stopped at Subway for a sandwich - I've figured out now that if you just get a veggie sub, it tastes fine. Something about their meat up here tastes funny. I was thankful when I made it back to the quiet convent and was able to eat dinner. It was an extremely long day, and tomorrow is bound to be similar with my Zoom attempt. I'll make sure to post a link so that everyone can watch it.

Sleep well everyone,

Michelle

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