mustering energy to write this thing

Why is the rum always gone, Captain Sparrow?:
There is rarely a dull moment while I am at my various places of employment. Saturday at the museums was relatively mondane and almost went off like clockwork. Well, except for the closing of both the Dossin and the main. I don't know why it took longer, but counting the drawers was exceptionally brutal yesterday. That, and I have no idea why people can't leave the buildings when we tell them we are closing. Tiffany broke into all the change and so I had to reset all of that. Blah. She also asked me where she was supposed to be working on Sunday. I said I would check when I got back to the main and call her. Well, when I in fact didn't get back to the main until 4:45, my VSA and maintance man thought something had happened to me. Because we start clearing at 4:45, I had to start the closing process. Usually, I am back at least ten minutes prior to this and allows me that ten minutes to situate the deposit and everything from the Dossin before worrying about the closing sequence at the main. I was rushed Saturday evening and again I had a longer than usual drawer counting procedure. I let Ray leave after we counted and set Sunday's drawer, then I went through and shut down exhibits. An event in the Streets of Detroit allowed me to only shut off the first and second floors. Not a big deal, but after the long check outs, much appreciated. I handed the keys off to the staff who was working the event and went on my way. I walked out the door at 6pm in an exhausted state of mind and not until I was on 94 at about the Boulevard did I realize I forgot to check the schedule for Tiffany. I did not call her back because a) I don't carry a VSA schedule on my person b) there was nothing I could have done for her because there wasn't even a schedule at the Dossin and c) assumed she would have taken initiative to find her own work schedule. The funny thing about hindsight is that it is 20-20, and only now do I realize that I should have called her regardless. A manager's work is apparently never done.

Sunday Morning Coming Down:

I arrived at the Dossin early. I wanted to see where things stood on the neverending inventory of GLMI items that I now have two weeks to complete. Soon, it is 10:30 and I have no staff. I begin to worry. Brendan (the reliable docent) knocks on the door about 10:45. Ok. Luckily, he has his schedule. Tiffany is the VSA again. I call. I leave a message. I get a phone call back from Tiffany. She was on her way to the main. I said she was at the Dossin, to which she replied, but I asked you to call me yesterday and you never did. I said I had a long closing at the main and honestly forgot to call you, I thought you would have taken the initiative and checked your own schedule. She said no, but that she was on her way to the Dossin instead. Okay. Deep Breath. I start to bitch a little and then stop myself to apologize to Brendan. This is a) not professional or managerial for me to do and b) I wouldn't want to listen to it either. It is 11:00, I open the building. There are ex-employees there to setup a special display for the hydroplane races this weekend on River. Fine. It gets to be 11:05, no Tiffany and I have to race to the main to open up by noon. Brendan says he is fine because he's worked alone in the building before. I leave but reluctantly. I said call me at 11:30 if she's not there and then call me when she gets there. I'm in transit to the main and I get a phone call. Hi Amy, I ran out of gas. I said okay, where are you? Tiffany said she was in the middle of the road and no one is stopping to help her, but that's okay, "you don't have to come get me". I just wanted to pull over and cry, but no, I kept driving. She was making her car move and was able to make it to a gas station. I said okay, bye. I called Brendan to keep him up to date. I call my voice of reason and try to stop shaking due to anger, frustration, and relief that I cannot fire that girl myself. I get to the main and open it up, turn everything on, and get the drawer counted by noon. In fact, doors opened at 11:53. There was an event in the Streets today also, that went off without a hitch. So needless to say, the main ran smoothly.

However, it was time and distance working against me and the Dossin.

I get a phone call, luckily, at 12:45 from Brendan. That made me look at my watch and realize I had to go downstairs to start the movie. I called him back from the front desk. The DVD player which plays an integral film at a crucial spot in the Dossin broke and jammed the disc in the player. All this because those people setting up the event thought they had open game to things in other parts of my building. Right when I thought I could calm down, I got all sorts of upset again. I asked Brendan if he wanted me to come over to the Dossin then. He said it was my call. I asked if there was anything I could do now that couldn't wait until I came later in the afternoon to close. I also mentioned how great the timing was considering the Dossin is open everyday for the next two weeks. He said there probably was nothing I could do. Tiffany wanted to talk to someone else who wasn't even there because she didn't know the number to the front desk and apparently didn't want to ask me about it. I forced it out of her and solved the problem she was having. So I left the front desk area saying that I was going to go upstairs and pull my hair out. The VSA and volunteer at the front desk laughed. I did too, it was anything at that point to make me not just start crying. I managed to get through the rest of the day, remembering that Deprina needed a lunch break, but the volunteer covered that. I hung out for some, but not all of the time, and was there to catch yet another phone call from Brendan, this time telling me that the DVD player was working and seemed to be fine. I said that I was going to leave the main when my vsa got back from her lunch and that I should be at the Dossin between 2:30 and 3. When I got there, I was worried about all the damage to the building considering we are open for the next two weeks. I watched the video, it sticks in some parts and stutters in others, so I have to look into finding another copy of that disc. I closed up and we were out there by 4:15 today. I let Tiffany leave as soon as we finished getting the deposit ready (4:05ish). Went back to the main, closed down at Deprina was out by 5:15. I shut down the exhibits, handed off my keys again because the event was still going on, but stayed and wrote a couple emails (no, not about the Tiffany situation) and left about 6 again.

After telling my day's events and watching two episodes of House, I was finally able to blog about calmly. Had I done this when I first got home, this blog would have involved many swear words, and really, who wants to read that? I have personal opinions about Tiffany and her irresponsibility and unnurturabilty, but I'm not ready to type those out yet. If I'm going to succeed at this manager thing, I have to learn how to deal with personality clashes and that not everyone thinks and handles responsibilty the way I do. Which, to those people, is probably a very positive thing. I will however, share with you the reactions from the people with whom I shared this story with my added commentary:

the mom says: what did Tiffany do this time? (as soon as I walk in the door)
mom also says: you have quite the business sense in the way you handle these things (while I was telling my story, mainly at the part when I asked Brendan if there was anything I could at that moment that couldn't wait until I went there to close).
the dad says: so when is this girl going on probation? (my response: she hasn't yet had a written warning regarding her attendance. to which he said - do that, and then only give her 30 days and then kick her to the curb.) If only I could do that dad, and without the formal steps to cover my ass.
the boyfriend says: well, I can't remember what he said but it was something to put it all in perspective and made me realize that I had not nurtured Tiffany the way that I should have and as a result, caused my heart to race all day and now worry that my story won't be nearly as one-sided as it would have been had I remember to call this person yesterday.
asking my dad about this, the former manager: he said, no, it is her responsibilty to know her own work schedule. that if anything comes back to me, I cannot be held responsible or blamed for her third major goof in five or six weeks.

I'm tired from a cumulation of events. I learned my lesson today, in many different areas. I learned what it means to be a little more nurturing to my employees. I learned that managing one facility while managing another off site is a testament of patience that will try every nerve ending in my body sometimes. Good thing I'm passionate about this job. I learned that I don't like being called a workaholic and dispise that adjective even more so than I did before...because it was used on me? I don't know, because I secretly know that's how people describe me? maybe, because I'm only 24 and living the life of a 50 year old man? perhaps, because my college loans and now car payments worry me so much that I work (up until I found the museum job) just for the paycheck? most likely.

Time for bed or something like it. Adios.