Scattered brained and distracted. Oh...silly David

I got in trouble today at work. Apparently when you edit something you are supposed to save the new AND the old document. I don't know why I should have several copies of one document with various edits but apparently they are needed. Erasing these previous documents is "not very bright" (quoted from David, my boss). Gosh, they could really use a footnothing option in blogger.

Speaking of David, he is so funny. Recently he called me from his car to discuss a proposal we were writing. At first I thought he was sitting in a parking lot as he was actually reading out the document to me and telling me what words he didn't like in specific paragraphs and then I realized he was driving along college street reading my proposal and editing it over the phone. Later on while dropping me off at a subway station, I noticed that his car was standard. Let's just say I have a new appreciation for multi-tasking.

He also has these moments at work where he gets really confused and forgets how to use the phone. Periodically he ends up hanging up on major sponsors and donors as he is simultaneously writing emails, talking on his cell and searching for documents on the floor of his office. Sometimes he intends to put someone on hold but attempts to dial out instead which causes the phone to make a very loud beeping alert noise. This is usually followed by some sort of grumbling or crass language which I cannot repeat here.

In so many ways he drives me nuts. For example, today I entered his office and it was absolutely freezing. I asked if the air conditioning was on and David pointed out that the window was open. When I tried to close the window I couldn't because he had removed two of the window panes for cleaning. We decided to put them back except we couldn't find them anywhere in his office. I don't know how it's possible to misplace two large window panes but David managed to do it. We eventually found them behind a shelf underneath papers and binders.

He is constantly scheduling meetings and then forgetting to attend them. He once scheduled a staff meeting to discuss project progress reports and deadlines and then was away at a conference in Quebec. He also likes to assume that he is paying me by making remarks like, "What an excellend idea! This is why we pay you". I have to remind him that he doesn't.

Although I find David to be a bit distracting and somewhat scatter-brained, the more I get to know him the more I like him. We had lunch today and chatted about MA programs and post-graduate work. He was really helpful and very encouraging. In so many ways he really surprises me. I never thought that a guy with a PhD and all his academic credentials took ten years to complete his B.A. (Yes, it is possible to fuck up your undergrad and still do well later on. Who knew?)

Despite my frustration with his lack of organization, I seem to be managing better. I realize that I do contribute and in some ways am discovering some of my strengths. It's a good feeling. I know I have a ways to go but I feel I've made a good start, and that's half the battle. I keep reminding myself that it's not about the end goal but about the process (props to Petey).