At work today I won a contest for designing the best campaign to encourage canvassers to get lots of post-cards and hot contacts (non-monetary ways people can get involved in health-care reform).  My campaign takes the form of a Risk-esque strategy game called Citizen Action of Riskonsin.  Basically, when you get certain numbers of post-cards or hot contacts within a day, you can earn soldiers or "canvassers" which you place on the board the next day.  Then everyone gets one turn per day to move or attack counties on a map of Wisconsin.  So, the best way to grow your army is to do well at work during the day.  Winner gets a cool prize.  My collection of prizes for designing the game included a Disinformation book!!!  :D

I got five phone calls before I even got out of bed this morning. It's gonna be an exasperating week.

First day of training at the Census went quite well.  We even had to be sworn in yesterday, taking the Federal oath to uphold the Constitution and defend it against foreign and domestic enemies and whatnot.  So please refrain from sharing your villainous plots with me (or at least those that target the Constitution).  There are about 6 of us Ops Supervisors that I'll be working with, running the Milwaukee "Early Local Census Office" where we test out materials and procedures.  I am impressed with everyone's intelligence and professionalism so far.   And our office has a kick-ass view downtown.  But, there is no coffee machine!  :(

Check out this slogan from the Census Employee Handbook I took home to study, is it not the awesomest slash dorkiest slogan evar?
"Quality Data - at the Right Time, for the Best Value!"
Boo ya.

I have become a creature of impulse. I have no will, but rather follow, slave-like, the vagaries of the short-term-oriented chemical morass that pulses and burbles beneath my skull.

On the plus side, I am being promoted and given a rai$e at Citizen Action.

Last day of Understandings of Religion, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  another notch on the classes-taught belt.
then i'm a full time activist, baby!

ps. i am outgrowing my pants.  this is not good.

i start teaching at Carthage again today.

I'm now working for Citizen Action of Wisconsin.  plus I start teaching at UW-Parkside in a few weeks.

no more sleeping all day I guess.

so after weathering the employment doldrums I suddenly am faced with this choice:

A) teach sociology of religion at UW-Parkside.  this is my absolute favorite academic subject and I've always wanted to teach it.  it would be a foot in the door with UW, possibly leading to more teaching.  it would be more money than adjuncting at private colleges has gotten me, but still not a lot because it would be just the one class, so I'd still need to look for another part time job.  this would be the option of security because my lifestyle would basically remain unchanged.

B) move to Washington DC for 4 months and be an SPSS specialist for a polling firm that works for the Obama campaign.  this would be full time and more money, but I'd have to live in an alien environment where I don't know anybody.  it could potentially lead to more work in politics, which excites me.  I might even like DC and want to stay.  But I don't know too much about what the work entails, so it may be out of my league and it could end up as a disaster if I get into it and it winds up over my head.  So this is the option of risk because there are a lot of unknowns and a new living environment and a new field of work.

i don't think it's possible to make a wrong decision here, but that's not stopping me agonizing over it.  anyone ever had to make a similar decision?

So I guess I'm a contract consultant now... I'm helping a Wild Birds Unlimited franchise store update and computerize their point-of-sale system, inventory, sales data, and such.

Got back from Oregon several days ago, and promptly moved to Riverwest, where Y-bone and I now share a little cottage and live amongst the hippies. More on the Soak festival later, when I find the cord that puts my phone pics on the computron.

its funny cuz it's true, right acutegirl ?


in other news, my interview at the Sojourner Truth House went well.
i may have another one next week.

Let it be known: I am now whoring myself out for jobs. You hear of anything in the Milwaukee area, do let me know please. I'll do surveying, office work, teaching, data entry, possibly even retail if it's a fun store like a GameStop or maybe a porn shop or something...

In other news, I spent the last couple days busting my ass as a volunteer precinct captain for the Obama campaign, so the Wisconsin win was quite fulfilling. I even got to shake hands with Mayor Tom Barret at the campaign's victory celebrations. If you wanna help out in upcoming battleground states, just go to barackobama.com and let them know!

Today begins a "blitz" at work where we try to finish off our cases so we can put this study to bed. That means lots of hours, followed by needing a new job. :/

Then, tonight, I'm gonna blitz your mom! :O

Eddie Izzard is funny stuff.

Who got shitcanned?
yeah, me baby, me.
I guess they don't need me any more, now that all the actual work is done and all that's left to do is sop up all the glory.
that's "cost rationalization," politics-ese for: "get your impertinent keister up outta the limelight, senor..."

A very good explanation of Wauwatosa's new recycling system is available here.

step into the way back machine with me for a moment.
remember back in high school when i was tha Regulator? (mad propz to canadian_fbi fo' tha RkIvz)
well now i'm regulating once again, only this time it's RECYCLE CARTS BEYOTCHES!
seriously, i'm regulating their distribution.
and it involves:

• long hours,


• and tedious labor.

but also:

• wicked cool cutting edge technology,


• action-packed just-in-time logistical coordination of teams and materials,


• and wayyyyyyyyyyyy to much caffeine for that sleep stuff i hear wussies mumbling about now and then.

now the only problem is that my head keeps on falling off.
(note to self: get cyber neck upgrade with locking clamp. and blinking LEDs.)

ps.
...if any trans-dimensional warp beings can read this, my boss and i are fearing we may be stuck in some kind of mobius loop, and we request assistance... we've got pizza...

Big day at the city today: the shipment of 17,500 or so new recycling carts is due to arrive, and it's my job to get them ready for distribution over the next few days. To coincide with it all coming back to you.

And its freakin' COLD out there.

At least I've got more Battlestar Galactica to watch later.

so i haven't had a day off in a month.
i long to leisurely lay around all day, with a novel or two, catch up on my blogging, and play some video games.

at least Oblivion With Bells came today. mmm, underworld.

gonna go cry and sleep a few hours.

Ha ha, someone stole 21 guns (and ammo, and some knives) from a home in the 12300 block of Underwood Parkway.  What the crap did you need those 21 guns for, asshat?  Now you may have armed 21 violent criminals, for free of charge!  Nicely done, sir.  Serves you right to be burglarized.  I hope the thief uses those guns to assault the very home from which they were stolen, as well as the homes of other area gun afficianados.

in other news, my city job is on thin ice with me.  i hope i get that city planner job so i can get out of this internship.  shit totally flows downhill, man.  i'm getting sick of being saddled with responsibilty for this mutant frankenstein property database we've created.  of course it's not perfect, and it's gonna be clumsy to use, and do unexpected things, and it has built-in inaccuracies because of the characteristics of the diverse chunks of info we used to cobble it together which of course interact screwy when you just graft them on to one another.  and now it's like the monster is turning on its creator and getting me in trouble for all sorts of havoc that it's wreaking!  grrrrrrr, stupid monster; i created you, and would that i could destroy you, too!

big day today - send me good energy vibes this evening if you can spare them.

out of the 6 target cities RTI is studying for the Study of Community Family Life, Milwaukee has been randomly chosen first to be observed under special supervision by the Research Director for the whole project. and of the whole Milwaukee team of Field Interviewers, guess who got selected to be observed in the field first? yeah, me. and i just found out yesterday.

so after working 9-2 for the City all day, i will then be scrutinized by the uber-boss of the SCFL from 3 until 10. i haven't even entirely figured this job out yet, so i hope they go easy on me since i got chosen first and all, and i'm the youngest member of the team to boot... *gulp*