Before the rain kicked in a few weeks ago, we finished painting the outside of the house and built a trellis-type screen for the deck. Partner did a beautiful job, it's just too bad that we won't really be able to use the deck for a few months. He and I are similar that way: we eventually get around to doing what we want/need to, it just might take longer than it should. Now we've got a contractor working on a small extension to the house, and when he's finished with that he'll put in the new windows. Again, not the best timing (we should've hired him and got this done earlier in the year when it was warmer), but hopefully everything will be done before we go to CA for Thanksgiving.
Our big travel plans will be for Xmas - New Year's when we go to New Orleans. A few years ago we met a couple of guys who own a B&B down there, so we're staying with them. It should be a blast. Hopefully we'll get to see my family in February when everyone meets up in Orlando during the kids' spring break. It'll be wonderful to see Disney World through their eyes.
Lately I've lost one of my volunteer jobs. I was volunteering on Wednesdays at EarthShare to help out a friend, but that friend got unexpectedly fired. Needless to say I was conflicted: I wanted to be loyal to the friend and stop working, but I also believe in the mission and wanted to continue helping. I opted to stop, primarily because of the house painting and because going downtown was a bit of a pain. Mainly, though, it was because I found out the director wasn't treating me right. My friend took me out to lunch almost every time I was there, and I assumed that he was getting at least partially reimbursed; after all, my work helped the company, not just him. After he got fired I asked him point-blank if the director ever volunteered to help pay for my lunch, but he said no. I know it might sound a bit petty, but really it's a bigger issue: why didn't the director realize that she should make even a small gesture to thank someone who was donating his time and energy (and train fare) to help her out?
I always assumed that people who work for non-profit, charitable organizations must be that special kind of person who is nice, caring, generous and good-hearted. (I used to think that about public-school teachers too, but after having worked as a teacher, I realized that that was wrong.) I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised, then, when I learned that my assumption about non-profits was also wrong. The director of EarthShare, for example, not only never thought to say thank you to me by offering to buy lunch, but more importantly she fired my friend in a very discourteous way. Furthermore, while working at EarthShare, I learned that the local director for the United Way was also an ass. Who knew that the United Way would try to "muscle out" other charities? It sounds like the United Way mafia!
My other volunteer job is for the Feral Cat Coalition. I started by answering the phone one day a week and helping out in the clinic a couple of Fridays each month. I then agreed to help the volunteer coordinator by aiding her in scheduling the vets and techs for the clinics. A couple of weeks ago, she unexpectedly quit. (This actually followed a long-time volunteer who quit, but that was slightly less surprising since she was doing so much, burn-out was inevitable.) When we talked to her about why, she said it had somewhat to do with the other paid staff. Apparently, the director seems to be more concerned about raising money from the beautiful people of Portland than she does about making sure the volunteers (who run the clinics) are happy or respected. Again, I was conflicted because I work in the office and never had any trouble at all from the director, but I also like the volunteer coordinator and don't doubt that her opinion is valid. (I also heard horror stories about last year's charity ball, when the volunteers were treated very badly. Ugly.) And yet again, here is another person working for a non-profit, charitable organization whose behavior towards volunteers is at least questionable. So much for my idea about these people being saints!
With the volunteer coordinator stepping down, I've had to increase the number of vets/techs that I'm supposed to call in order to fill the clinics. I had no idea this job would take so much time! Getting vets and techs to agree to volunteer for the clinics is like - if you excuse the pun - herding cats. Quick example: yesterday morning I got an email from a vet asking if I received her email. I hadn't, so this email was a surprise. (Because this particular email went right to my inbox and even had her name correctly labeled, I assume that nothing went technically wrong with her previous email. I can only assume that I hadn't received it because something went wrong at her end...like maybe she never actually sent it.) Anyway, I replied to her that I hadn't received it. She wrote back last night saying that she could do a clinic on Nov 15th. I wrote back to her confirming that she was scheduled at such-and-such a time on that day. This morning she writes back saying she has a conflict on that day with one of her kid's activities and can't make it.
Huh? Didn't she know about that last night? Now I'm (sort of) sure everything she said was true, but it all seems vaguely suspicious and really just a waste of time.
I know I'm beating a dead horse, but I had really felt that people who volunteered to help an organization did so because they really wanted to help. It's just so unprofessional and discourteous when these same people can't be bothered to return an email or a phone message. I don't want to keep calling and become a pest; I'm not doing the organization or myself a service by doing that. Instead, I'd just like everyone to be courteous and professional. Is that too much to ask?
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