Back in the saddle again

[geoviki]

The problem with not posting for months is that it becomes self-perpetuating. The longer I go without posting, the more stuff I think I need to catch you up on, and that leaves me feeling too overwhelmed to start. So I finally convinced myself to eat that elephant one bite at a time.



I don't think any of you actually remember my immediate post-retirement plan was to continue at the USGS part-time with a new focus. This terrific plan was meant to allow me to segue gradually into full retirement. Well, like so many terrific plans, it got fubared right out of the gate. Even though I had written up the new job before I even left, and everyone was verbally on board with it, it took 50 entire weeks to advertise and fill it. Yeah, insert rant about gross incompetence of the government. But it wasn't "the government" as much as it was the reluctance of 2 employees to, you know, do their fucking jobs and move the paperwork along. And I'd trot in every couple of weeks to stare at them and make them feel a little guilty, which didn't work. Finally, a full year after I left, I'm back in my old office doing something new.

And what is this new thing?

I'm trying to invent a title that sounds impressive and cool, but what happens is that I describe my new job and 95% of the time, people think I'm nuts. The other 5% are people like me who get it.

So, I'm either working as a specialist in "data rescue" or "asset management" or "organization." But what that really means is "I clean up abandoned shit."

Most places of employment do not allow shit to become abandoned. However, my agency has turned a blind eye to the problem for decades. Scientists are hired, they work for long, long careers, they (sometimes) retire and are allowed to continue to keep their offices as emeritus workers, they come in less and less, and then (to be blunt) they die, leaving all their stuff behind. We're talking about people who collect rocks for a living, so you can imagine the piles of stuff. Or wait, you don't have to imagine, here's proof:




(to make it more interesting, the ceiling flooded after this photo was taken, and the top stuff got wet)

These shots show about 20% of one area I'm working on. This is what happens when someone's office has been cleared out and heaped into various corners of the building. Repeat this with multiple people over multiple years and you begin to see the issue. In these boxes and file cabinets and map cases are a few very important things that need to be preserved. The rest is shit. It all needs to be sorted.

Think "Hoarders" and you'll know what I'm doing.

You know how easy it is to overlook one's strengths? Well, I'd always dismissed this ability of mine to swoop in and get rid of piles of crap, something I've been doing ever since I was really young. I'm really, really good at it. I really like it. To me, it's very satisfying to start with a pile like this and end up with everything where it belongs. It's calming.

It also pays pretty well, I learned.

In the year I've been retired, though, I found I really like the free time. So I'm only working 10 hours a week, which is enough. I wish I'd been able to move right into this a year ago like I'd planned because it's weird being back after a whole year off, but my fingers have been itching to take care of this stuff the whole time.

Annnnnd, that's the first bite of this elephant.

Comments

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

Hai Viki! Great to hear from you <333

[venivincere]

Oh, Viki. It's wonderful to hear from you again, no matter how long it's been. I've thought of you often and hoped you've been ejoying your time. Come play in the sandbox with us again? What are you watching/reading/creating?

[slytherincesss.livejournal.com]

Viki Viki Viki! So good to see you on LJ <3

Dude, I should have offered to hire you to un-hoard my basement last year. I kid, I kid, but we did hire someone to help, and it cost about $1000 once it was all done. I'm good at making piles and not so good about purging/organizing. It's on my to-do list to attack my hanging files.

But I can see how, if your strong suit is organization and the ability to sort through things, this kind of opportunity might be really appealing. You're getting paid to do something that comes second nature, and maybe you can listen to music the whole time!

So glad to see you checking in. :D

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

You could make a bundle as a consultant to private citizens in their homes. I know people who have paid for that as a service--someone to hold their hand while they sort possessions to decide what to keep and what to discard.

I couldn't do it. The before pictures make me too antsy. Maybe if it was someone else's stuff and I was getting paid, I could...

[penguineggs.livejournal.com]

Fabulous!

A friend of mine once got into the metaphorical equivalent of this, the department of skeleton files at a major bank (You know skeleton files, the ones that even thinking about gives you mental toothache?) They had all the problem files of every department anywhere in the country and they turned their brightest team on them and said, "Look! We have sought up and down the land for files worthy of your talents, and here are the results!!

And there was great rejoicing.

[luci0logy.livejournal.com]

Yay! It's great to hear from you. *waves* You have a wonderful job there; my fingers are itching to get sorting, or rooting as my grandma used to call it. Good luck.

[meredyth-13.livejournal.com]

Hello, honey! Lovely to hear from you. Sounds like a great resolution after a load of bureaucratic farting around.

*hugs*

[meri-oddities.livejournal.com]

Finally. I was beginning to think this wasn't going to happen.

Oh, and when you're done, can you come over and organize my house? *g*

[urnesha.livejournal.com]

I'm a grad student in an Earth and Ocean Department so I know exactly what you're talking about. We have so much stuff that's been here for so long that we don't even know who it belonged to in the first place! Our Chair went on a big campaign last semester to clean stuff up but I suspect that a lot of it just got put in other rooms. :)

Good to see you on LJ! I read your fic: "One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This" and laughed and laughed. Love your work!

[photoash.livejournal.com]

Sorting other peoples shit sounds awesome <3 I hate messing with my own but ti's fun to dive into a pile of stuff like you have there :D

:) glad you'll have stuff to do but not so much that you can't still relax, travel, and have fun!

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

that is such an awesome job. i love organizing things, too, and i'd be really happy sorting through piles of left-behind stuff as well!

[furiosity.livejournal.com]

Your job sounds like insane amounts of fun. I LOVE getting rid of shit. I would like to grow up to be just like you and get paid for it!!!

♥

[twigged.livejournal.com]

I remembered you talking about this and wondered what had happened with it. I can certainly understand the satisfaction you'll feel in getting this sorted, and a 10 hour work week is to be envied! Congrats!

[karen-jk.livejournal.com]

It's great to hear you are doing well!

I desperately need you to come help me w my own archaelogical dig/house.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

That is a USEFUL job!!!!

(You can come to Paris ANY TIME & stay here & help me clear, er, stuff...)

[shezan.livejournal.com]

(...er, and dare we hope for, um, fanfic?)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

That actually sounds QUITE satisfying. "CLEAN UP THIS S**T! OR I WILL DO IT FOR YOU! LOOK, I'M DOING IT FOR YOU!" Yeah, I could get behind that. *rubs hands together*

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Looks challenging, yet doable. Ten hours a week is a great schedule, too. Nice to hear from you!

(wish you could help my hoarder dad in California)

[dbassassin.livejournal.com]

Hey there! Nice to hear from you.

Most places of employment do not allow shit to become abandoned.

In my experience, almost every place of employment that employs people who do research (scientists, engineers, music professors: hoarders and abandoners all!) has piles of shit in corners, basements, attics, spare classrooms, decommissioned labs and organ lofts (yes, personal experience speaking here). But it's fun! Going through old stuff, throwing away tons of crap, finding the odd gem. But then, I'm hardly an impartial judge.

Map cabinet squee!

[bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com]

Wow, I wish you lived close to me and could apply your expertise to my basement. lol

also, you never have to worry about what you write. You could post with nothing but "Snofle catchle mak" and I'd be like "VIKI!!!!" and die of happy. I just love seeing your name on my f-list.

*hugs*

[lolaraincoat.livejournal.com]

SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE!! also, yay for work!

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

o.0

i remember, and i'm a little gobsmacked it took so long.

still, a little pin money is good, y/y?

nice to see you on the flist, too ♥

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Yikes! But yay for a job that suits you. :)

[cordelia_v]

Count me among the 5%, and I'm glad that the paperwork finally went through for this.

It sounds like you're an archivist, really. That's what they do: figure out what is worth keeping and toss the rest. Also, they then create catalogs of what was kept and where it is (so that future researchers can find information they're looking for).