Commentable comments

A commenter has asked how this blog caused me to not be selected for a particular project. Here's the explanation: The project for which I was accepted and then, within hours, rejected, was a revival of the project on which I was working when I started this blog. It was a highly entertaining project, and many of the posts did not reflect particuliarly well upon the agency staffing the project. I actually got an email from the agency that hinted they knew I was the blogger. Of course, I denied it, as Lenny Bruce once advised that you should deny everything, even if they have pictures.  On the one hand, they seem to have accepted my denial. On the other hand, I haven't worked for that agency since then. And on the third hand (what kind of freak show is this?) they are the only agency that has given any indication they even are aware the blog exists, much less suspect my identity. So, in response to my anonymous commenter, I say this: No agency likes to have it's dirty laundry aired, and the best way to prevent that from happening is to keep people who will do the airing from seeing their dirty laundry.

We so damn international

Got me some Egypt, Thailand and Indonesia on the vistors' list. Welcome guys, even if you are robot search engines looking for the word "fuck." I'm always happy to put it out there.

Wall-to-wall bullshit

I am on what is known as a wall-to-wall project: the hours are high, seven days a week. At first they were very cagey about letting us know how long this would last, but they finally relented and told us it would end in another week (making it a two-week project). Anytime they don't want to answer the "how long?" question, you're in trouble. Also, let's face it: if you have a project with a high pay rate and high hours (and this one has both), you know it can't last long, because God hates contract attorneys.

There's one on every project

I haven't been on every project, but I'm going to guess that every project has a shred box. This is the box where you put pieces of paper that have on them things you have written or that the law firm has printed that are confidential. It's not a big deal. Very common. The idea is to maintain confidentiality. I think most folks understand that.

Not everybody, though. My new project has a shred box. It's where you're supposed to put copies of documents, notes, etc. that are confidential and need to be shredded as opposed to going into the regular trash.  Only a genuine dipstick would put run of the mill garbage in the shred box.

Naturally, in that shred box are two McDonald's bags stuffed with the detritus of visits to that venerated fast-food establishment. Ah, contract attorneys.

I've been one poor correspondent

OK, so it was a lame reference to an old America song that most of you are too you to remember. Sue me. In any event, I jumped from the shitty-assed project I was on, giving up the 40 hours a week with some duration for 80 hours a week with a suspect timeline. These folks have been very cagey about how long this will last. On the other hand, we have a great rate, great hours. That's how you know it won't last.

Why yes, it is snowing like an SOB. Why do you ask?

No prediction of this, apparently, but it is snowing like a big dog right now. Not sure for how long or how much, but it's good to finally see some winter.

Lord, how have I offended thee?

So I've been looking for an escape from this project pretty much since the day I got on. Unfortunately, it's a project I already escaped once (and how'd that work out for you?), so getting back on when there was nothing else meant I practically had to give a security deposit. That was long enough ago that I can now get my security deposit back, but I'm having trouble finding another suitable apartment, so to speak. The market is a little thin at the moment.

So last week I got two tidbits of news. First, this project isn't dying anytime soon. Maybe a month or so. Another month of no overtime will kill me, but not as bad as a month of unemployment. The other tidbit was about a project with some overtime that was projected to last for three months or more. Hallelujah! Or however the hell you spell that. Sounded like salvation to me. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand . . .

the project is at the same firm I'm working at now. Different agency, same firm. No way will the firm let me jump from an unfinished project to a new project in the same room. Bitter irony: we're being forced to move from our space to another, much smaller space so that the project I can't join will have room for all their people. I feel like Abraham -- can't I just kill a son and make things right? Anyway, still stuck in no-overtime-land. Maybe I could sacrifice a goat.