Today I finally learned how to say my new job title correctly. I am the
Media Department Assistant at Stone. OOOooooooooo. I'm not sure yet how I feel about having the kind of job that obligates me to launch into a detailed explanation when asked what I do--stating only the title causes folks to tilt their heads sideways and give me that
"Baroo?" kind of look. Saying I was an archaeologist was really fun, because it's like telling someone you're a microbiologist or a zookeeper--they may not have a clear idea of what you actually do at work every day, but it sounds really cool. Being a tour guide at Stone isn't
quite as high on the rock star barometer, but at least people generally know what it means without further exposition.
That said, I rather like being a Media Department Assistant. I've never had a three-word job title before (puffing up chest and swelling with pride). And it can be a lot of fun, even though it may sound a bit stuffy. Nothing stuffy about it. And it is most definitely
not anything remotely secretarial, despite the "assistant" bit.
I very very rarely have to use the phone (thank god for that!!). And I get to satisfy my compulsive editing habits and get paid for it. So far, each day has presented a new series of tasks completely different from those of the day before, which keeps tedium well at bay. I'm often required to go visit folks in other departments to glean information from them--usually I do this with a pad of paper and pen in hand to take notes while they talk to me. I'm practicing tilting my head to the side and raising one eyebrow slightly so I look more intelligent and thoughtful during these little impromptu interviews. I want to start wearing a snappy business suit and 1940s platform pumps and a fedora with a press pass stuck in the hatband. And talk like Katharine Hepburn in
Bringing up Baby. I can dream can't I?
I also write snippets of prose for our website and calendars to describe upcoming events; today I wrote an email announcement for one of our listservs with 852 subscribers. I feel famous in a wholly unrecognized and anonymous sort of way. And I have to admit it makes me proud when I walk through the lobby of the restaurant and pass by a huge 7-foot high poster with a bunch of stuff I wrote on it. Sure, it's full of cheesy catch phrases, it's nothing profound in the slightest, and it's unsigned and nobody knows I wrote it, but it makes me gleefully and quietly happy anyway. Isn't that all that matters? That I like what I do? One of the more important elements of my job is keeping the chain of communication open between everybody involved in the multitude of events at Stone, like special dinners, movies in the summer, and our super awesome Beer U classes. Not as glamorous as writing paragraphs full of adjectives and exclamation points for our various publicly accessible media, but pretty dang essential.
And then occasionally I have to
watch movies (long, belabored sigh). I know, it's rough. Actually, the other day it
was kind of rough. I spent a few hours watching various bits of School of Rock over and over and over trying to sift through it all and find four suitable snippets to use as previews during future movie nights. It's much more tedious than you would think. I probably watched certain segments of that film more than 25 times. In a row. I never ever ever want to see that movie ever again. It's ruined for me. Although Jack Black singing the "Step Off" song and prancing around the classroom making ridiculous faces still makes me smile against my will.
So there I was, enjoying a tasty box of apple juice from our neato vending machine at work that only vends healthy or at least not-so-unhealthy snacks—things like kombucha, miniscule stir-fry entrées, Clif bars, nuts, and organic cookies and chips. This machine has been a lifesaver on multiple occasions when I either forgot my lunch or just didn't bring enough to eat. I absolutely love that we have so many tasty and healthy things to choose from. I've never seen a vending machine like this anywhere else, and that's a real shame; I'm sure that a surprising number of people would choose to snack on something other than a candy bar if they had the option to do so.
