We Done Good...

Today I attending a series of meetings at work where we discussed poverty. 

I don't think I've ever written that sentence before in my life. I've heard that when a sentence reaches a certain point, the odds of that sentence having ever been written before diminishes, so we're constantly inventing phrases never before written. I wonder if anyone else ever wrote: Today I attended a series of meetings at work where we discussed poverty. Could be a first.

Of course, many meetings are held all over the world where poverty is discussed. And now our meetings are included among those already held.

I work for a government agency. We have been tasked with the charge to try and help our state's population by breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty for as many people as possible.

We live in a strange time. I know people who believe government, if given the resources, can answer any question, solve any problem. I know others who believe just the opposite. As with most things, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

A few days ago I blogged about a donation drive we had at work. Before our meetings began, we gathered all our donations from every part of the state and stashed them in the corner of the room. I thought we had amassed a lot at our office, but as I watched car after car stop and unload bags of clothes, stacks of pillows, and cases of sunscreen, I was surprised and pleased.

Yes, we had meetings, discussed numbers, and ways to help. And the cache of items were shipped off to the YWCA. Talk about things is only that, talk. Actions are what counts. Our deeds today may change lives--it is our goal, after all. Yes, many people talked about poverty today, just like us. I hope our little drive did some good. 

I think it did.

On A Gloomy Thursday Morning...

Last week I was given a temporary assignment at work that took me back to a building where I worked for a decade. It's located downtown Salt Lake City near the famous City County Building and the Salt Lake City Library. The last day of my temporary assignment I went to get a quick bit of breakfast and brought my camera with me.

A few years back, there was a morning in which fog engulfed the downtown buildings. It was like being inside a cloud (because that's exactly what had happened...). I took my camera out with me that morning, too, and I got a lot of really cool pictures. When I went out last week, the fog wasn't so thick, but it did create a somewhat creepy vibe. I especially liked how the central section of the City County Building looked all spooky and Scooby-Doo-esk. The clock adds a great touch, too.

I'm not a professional photographer, but if I were, I'd be looking, actively seeking out locations and situations where things look not as they always do. Talk to any photographer--especially professional ones--and they'll tell you stories of staying up all night, being out in elements in poor conditions, waiting sometimes for hours, all to get that perfect shot. Sometimes it pays off, many times, it doesn't, but the fun is in the journey.

There are times when I wish I could be a professional photographer, but things didn't turn out that way. It's a great hobby and thankfully my wife has supported me in it (photography can be a brutally expensive pursuit...). For now, I haul my big Nikon around almost everywhere I go, because you just never know what you're going to see. Last Thursday, I saw the morning cityscape  in a new way.

Saying Goodbye To A Dedicated Co-Worker...

Yesterday I received an I/M letting me know one of my first supervisors was retiring and his farewell gathering would be today. I knew I had to go to this one.

When you work in a company with hundreds and hundreds of employees, and when many of those employees have worked in excess of thirty years for the company, when one of them retires, it's a big deal--especially for the retiree. Today was Doug's day. And there were eclairs.

To reach the get-together, I had to take a light rail train to the building where I've worked for fifteen years, a building where, when I received my first promotion after working for six months, I met Doug. He was my immediate boss. Because of the type of work we did, the best way to learn the job was to just do it. And because Doug had been doing that job for more than a decade, I turned to him so many times for advice. 

"What would you do, Doug?"

And he would tell me. And I'd make the decision. Such was our working relationship for years. I ended up moving to different departments and different buildings, Doug remained answering thousands upon thousands of questions from co-workers and customers alike.

Beginning in 2017 we'll be Doug-less, all that decades-old experience will no longer be available to the team. I'm glad I went to the retirement party today. I'm glad I got to shake his hand, get a quick picture, and chow down an eclair. But most of all, I'm glad a man who has spent years and years of his life working for one organization can finally be needed in other, more important things.

Thanks, Doug, for answering all those pestering questions and for everything else.

The Great DWS Administration North Elevator Malfunction of 2015 ...

For the important things, sometimes you hear about them before you read about them. And so it went last week when all four elevators in our building at work decided to quit working at the same time. "The elevators shut down," we'd hear over cubicle walls. "All of them, or just a couple?"

"All of them."

Thankfully, no one was stuck inside when they broke down.

And so continued the "first-world problems" faced by a bunch of workers in a downtown Salt Lake City office building. Of course, it's easy for me to call this a "first-world problem." Others in my building might not agree. To them it was much more serious.

If you know SLC, you know we're not flush with tall buildings. I think the tallest structure (where the public can go...) is around thirty floors. The building I work in has six, and I work on three. Rarely do I use the elevators so the fact that they weren't working didn't cause me a lot of stress. Some of my co-workers, however, they felt the pain of each of the steps they needed to climb until they could get to work. And I know there are some with disabilities to the point where climbing up and down stairs is not an option. If they can't take an elevator, they can't get to work. I felt bad for them.

Through the day we received several e-mails updating us on the progress (or lack thereof...) technicians were having as they tried fixing the problem. We were notified when one was working (we have four total...), then another one was fixed. Then they all went out again. I'm no elevator maintenance technician so I have no idea what would knock out all the elevators at once. In my mind, I would think it would be like having a fleet of four delivery trucks that all decide on the same day to stop working. Those who know how these miracles of nineteenth century technology work probably know how all four could shut down at once. I apologize for my ignorance.

The Great DWS Administration North Elevator Malfunction of 2015 happened last week. Today, there are still reminders of the calamity. We're down to only three working. I hope one day we can remove the caution tape and be fully liberated at last.