Buttons

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

On the Wednesday last week I learned the charity shop was throwing away newish jeans because they lacked buttons. One of my co-volunteers had offered to sew buttons on them so they didn't have to be trashed, but apparently no supply of buttons is kept on the premises. That's how I was able to answer an inquiry from customers the next day about whether they could get buttons, in the negative. Alas, ah well.

On that Thursday, too, right after arriving to work for the day, I recognised a previously unseen volunteer as someone I'd gone to high school with. I thought about saying hello, but if he didn't recognise me I might need to name myself, so I didn't.

We both got assigned early on to take out the trash from the big wheelie-bin to the bigger skip bin round out back, successful, but he acquired a splinter in the process and wanted to a) get some tweezers to remove it and b) file an incident report. We had trouble finding the forms for the report, and I don't know if he got them, but the first aid kit with tweezers was found (I don't think it was pointed out to me on my orientation, which it really ought to have been). Shortly after, one of the more senior staff members, who had been otherwise relatively friendly and who'd pointed out the first aid kit, walked out to where I was and said "Wuss" a couple of times. I could only conclude she meant that in criticism of his behaviour, one person to another disapproving of a third, so I called back that it was policy.

I should have said it is law. Occupational health and safety law, one is required to file a report of any such injury incident, no matter how minor. It provides a foundation for a worker's compensation claim should it prove to be or grow into a serious issue, and might bring attention to lurking workplace issues that need addressing. It was upsetting. And I really ought to have been reporting the back and knee issues I have been experiencing. I knew that already, already had been kicking myself for worrying too much about 'causing trouble' or 'making a scene' by requesting a form and filling it out. Plus worrying since I've had issues with those before that it would be inappropriate anyway.

[Post-braek]

The other news

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

[end post-braek]

Later, at the toy library, I heard from the toy librarian's lips directly that she is retiring in the near future, shortly before she told the library staff in general. The reason she cited was office conflict, in a sensibly unfortunate way. She wanted to let me know she can't assure me of a place there beyond approximately April, although it is expected when her replacement is found ey would probably welcome any continuing volunteers. Specifically she said she didn't want me to pass up an opportunity elsewhere on the assumption I could rely on the toy library.

I have been wondering if it would be possible to organise some sort of volunteer farewell thing for her, but I do not know how to go about that. Am hoping inspiration strikes.

Have been putting out applications to proper library jobs, the sort that pay money, but am experiencing a scarcity of hope at the moment. I have increasingly been thinking that despite the work I put in, and revision and focus on looking for work and all these other activities that are supposed to improve my situation, I am simply not going to find anything. It is getting closer to two years since I graduated and apart from volunteering at the toy library all I have is the government pushing me into a place where I must make my own pointless busy-work because they don't even have that for me. It does not help that of one of my more recent applications, despite getting input from more than one other person, and going over it myself, I still sent off a cover letter that referenced by name the place it had been previously sent to and didn't catch that until two minutes after sending the email. Dreadful feeling, no idea whether I should hope they don't notice it or send off a panicked correction, and worrying about just how small an industry it is.

I am worried about my long-term situation, even supposing that I can and do find work in the future. For one thing, in moving to the US I would sharply contract the salary I could command, possibly even if I were to undertake and achieve a Masters in Library Science. For a more serious other thing, libraries as an industry seem to be contracting now and into the forseeable future, and I do not imagine myself as one flexible, ingenious or whatever enough to escape being out of a job in the next decade or few anyway, and I don't know what I would do then.

It is scary, and I don't see much future hope for myself to do more than minimise the cost to others of supporting me.

The political other news

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

This past weekend, a state election. Everyone knew the approximate outcome in advance: after 16 years of Labor, historic landslide Liberal / National coalition victory. I had hoped voter antipathy might mitigate that somewhat, I know I wasn't the only one thinking perhaps a recapitulation of last year's national might be a good thing. But it didn't turn out that way at all, and I didn't vote for either of the major parties because I don't trust them, although since we end up with them I try to hope.

Walking to the polls, one of the folks handing out party 'how to vote' pamphlets recognised me as working at the library, and it didn't seem an appropriate moment to explain that being a volunteer rather than someone who receives income from the library in recompense for the work done there, I maybe can't quite claim to be 'someone who works there' (even though I go there and perform work for some hours each week). Apart from his being there on behalf of the Christian Democrats and thus The Enemy, that was a bit heartwarming and left me wondering why couldn't it have been someone else.

They, by the way- It was not so prominently covered on what I saw of the election night, but from a few days later it appears control of the state's upper house may no longer lie with the Greens, and instead could be in the hands of the Christian Democrats and the Shooters and Fishers party.

That worries me more than the lower house result, which had been all but foregone the past four years.

On the bright side

Originally published at a denizen's entertainment. You can comment here or there.

Found time and made self do a touch of writing, trying to sort out that kink in the Epic Fantasy that's been bugging for so many months. Might have even actually done it, which is a very pleasant shock. Going to try moving on to the next editing step and see if it all is working now.

Tempted to try and promise a deadline on that, but learning better now. Would really like to be done with this thing sooner rather than later, and that means putting some more work into it for a while. And then I get to write some new-fun stuff, right?