Earlier this week, I got text messages from my friends Season and Sara within seconds of each other. One of our classmates, Jon, had died. The news was broken to our friendship group via the condolences left on his facebook page. At the time, based on facebook posts, he hadn't been feeling well and went the hospital. They sent him home and he suffered with his illness for a few days even though they couldn't pin down what was wrong with him. A roommate found him Monday in his bed. Initial rumors was that it had something to do with his lungs. Bronchitis and pneumonia were mentioned. One of his relatives said yesterday that it was viral pneumonia.
Any longtime reader will recognize Jon as someone who I have complained about in the past. He creeped me out with his crush on me. I wasn't very charitable when it came to his academic knowledge. Death, tends to soften people's judgments. There were things that I admired about Jon and that was his bravery and persistence. He knew what he wanted and he took steps to make it happen. The first time I saw him do drag, he was god awful but he kept with it. In the last show, he was still pretty bad but the improvement was very remarkable. Like one facebook commenter said, his passion to perform were undoubted and respected. He even pursued me with directness and bravado that I have no hope of emulating. After throwing off the shackles of high school, he found himself and as far as I could see he was finally happy. I wish more of us could say the same.
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| Sara and Jon |
Jon was cremated. No viewing was made available nor will a memorial service be given. Our last meetings with him will have to be our comfort. The picture here was the last at the last shows of his that I attended. Next to him is our friend and classmate, Sara, with whom he had a special relationship. I've stared at this dark, fuzzy, and crappy picture. It's just one little moment in time we shared with him... and it was good.
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| Back: Me, C.W.; Front; K.P., C.G. |
Yesterday, one of the company's supervisors was fired. C.W. used to be my boss until I transferred out of her department. Still I got to sit next to her in this foursome cubicle with K.P. and C.G. It was a blast. I eventually moved to another building. K.P. and C.G. moved on to other, better, places.
A few weeks ago C.W. had a complaint filed against her by one of her workers. Something along the line of her being an unreasonable supervisor. C.W. drove her workers hard but I never thought of her as being a bad person. She just expected her workers to meet their productivity goals. She was suspended and then fired a few days after she got back.
When I asked her why, she had told me that the reason that they gave her was that she wasn't leading people. I suppose it takes them five years to realize this . I suspect that it was office politics once again.
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The band is breaking up! For about two years, I've been working with pretty much the same crew. I know them we work very well since we used to each others' work habits and eccentricities. Major things are happening and requiring a shuffling of personnel. A few of us will be leaving for another part of the campus and those that are staying are taking on additional duties. It's fairly common here. In the five years I've been here, I've worked in four departments, in three buildings, at eight desks. It's actually been quite remarkable who stable it had been this past couple of years. Now, I think we're making up for lost time.
I will be one of those people leaving although my departure has been delayed for a couple months, or so I hear. I will be "promoted" to a more supervising position. Except my "promotion" doesn't come with any real authority, any real title, or any additional money. At least I can say it'll only make my resume look better.
Here, Lee V. is teaching these two ladies how to operate the postage machine. As I said, the people left behind are taking on expanded roles. I don't think that this craziness is going to settle down until the new year.
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