home at last: three days between the end of training and the start of work
I am so happy to be home! I got home late Friday night and on Saturday gave myself a full day off from all devices.
My last few days of training were very interesting. I went back to Nanaimo for an all-day meeting for professional staff -- regular librarians, next-step-up librarians such as me, managers, and system executives. To my delight, this meeting was followed by an annual union meeting, the BCGEU local of which I am now a member. Both meetings were very interesting and positive.
The librarians' meeting was a look at goals and plans for 2019. It gave me great ideas on what committees I hope to join and specific work I'd like to accomplish in the new year.
The union meeting had nearly 100% attendance. Comparing turnouts to my former CUPE local's meetings isn't really fair, as the circumstances and access to the meetings are very different. Even so, there was excellent engagement and participation, and in general a strong understanding of why our union matters. Union leadership seems very smart, strong, and transparent.
Many people have asked if I plan to be active in my union. To me, there's no question. How can I not be? But not yet. I'm enjoying an intentional break from activism right now. More on that in my next post.
In general I'm very impressed with the quality of both my employer and my union. I fully understand that there will be some issues with both. Organizations of made of people, and people are not perfect, so there are no perfect organizations. But in general, I'm very pleased.
I spent the night in Nanaimo, then it was back up to Campbell River -- I'm getting a lot of experience and confidence in driving in the rain -- for another few days of training. I also had the opportunity to jump in and help some customers, which made me happy. The staff at Campbell River couldn't have been nicer, and were so generous with their time. Library people are the best.
I had been planning on driving home on Saturday morning, but I just couldn't take it anymore. People here are careful about driving in the dark, as there's a real danger of wildlife on the roads. But I would have left very early anyway, so it's either drive in the dark at night, or drive in the dark in the morning. More importantly, I checked weather and road reports: there was a window of clear weather in between rain and more rain, and I decided to go for it.
It was actually a lovely drive. There was a bright moon, I had music blasting, and I cruised right along. Now that I know what to expect, the stretch of rural road between Campbell River and the North Island is fun to drive. Some areas are perpetually shrouded in mist; in other areas snow appears out of nowhere -- but you know that will usually clear up in a few kilometres. As long as I stay at around 80 or 90 kms/hour (about 50-55 miles/hour), it's not scary or stressful.
Allan and I had arranged to meet at the airport, to return the rental car I was driving. Naturally he brought Diego, who went insane with joy when he saw me -- and I did the same! I am incredibly happy and relieved to be home.
My libraries are closed on Mondays, so I have three days to work on the house, and also read, take walks, and watch some shows. Allan did a huge grocery shopping and I plan to spend some time in the kitchen, to make big batches of soups and stews to freeze. On Monday I hope to scope out an appointment at a hair salon (scary!) and our new vet. I still don't feel like I live here, but this should help.
My last few days of training were very interesting. I went back to Nanaimo for an all-day meeting for professional staff -- regular librarians, next-step-up librarians such as me, managers, and system executives. To my delight, this meeting was followed by an annual union meeting, the BCGEU local of which I am now a member. Both meetings were very interesting and positive.
The librarians' meeting was a look at goals and plans for 2019. It gave me great ideas on what committees I hope to join and specific work I'd like to accomplish in the new year.
The union meeting had nearly 100% attendance. Comparing turnouts to my former CUPE local's meetings isn't really fair, as the circumstances and access to the meetings are very different. Even so, there was excellent engagement and participation, and in general a strong understanding of why our union matters. Union leadership seems very smart, strong, and transparent.
Many people have asked if I plan to be active in my union. To me, there's no question. How can I not be? But not yet. I'm enjoying an intentional break from activism right now. More on that in my next post.
In general I'm very impressed with the quality of both my employer and my union. I fully understand that there will be some issues with both. Organizations of made of people, and people are not perfect, so there are no perfect organizations. But in general, I'm very pleased.
I spent the night in Nanaimo, then it was back up to Campbell River -- I'm getting a lot of experience and confidence in driving in the rain -- for another few days of training. I also had the opportunity to jump in and help some customers, which made me happy. The staff at Campbell River couldn't have been nicer, and were so generous with their time. Library people are the best.
I had been planning on driving home on Saturday morning, but I just couldn't take it anymore. People here are careful about driving in the dark, as there's a real danger of wildlife on the roads. But I would have left very early anyway, so it's either drive in the dark at night, or drive in the dark in the morning. More importantly, I checked weather and road reports: there was a window of clear weather in between rain and more rain, and I decided to go for it.
It was actually a lovely drive. There was a bright moon, I had music blasting, and I cruised right along. Now that I know what to expect, the stretch of rural road between Campbell River and the North Island is fun to drive. Some areas are perpetually shrouded in mist; in other areas snow appears out of nowhere -- but you know that will usually clear up in a few kilometres. As long as I stay at around 80 or 90 kms/hour (about 50-55 miles/hour), it's not scary or stressful.
Allan and I had arranged to meet at the airport, to return the rental car I was driving. Naturally he brought Diego, who went insane with joy when he saw me -- and I did the same! I am incredibly happy and relieved to be home.
My libraries are closed on Mondays, so I have three days to work on the house, and also read, take walks, and watch some shows. Allan did a huge grocery shopping and I plan to spend some time in the kitchen, to make big batches of soups and stews to freeze. On Monday I hope to scope out an appointment at a hair salon (scary!) and our new vet. I still don't feel like I live here, but this should help.
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