April 30, 2009

• 
  

  Every two weeks, Wednesday and Thursday I go to project meetings.  One is near my home just about 10-minute drive on back road. The other is in Jersey City.  Wednesday is the day I go to the project near my home.  I get up same time as I normally go to the office.  Then I read or write until 8:30 A.M. and drive to the meeting.  The meeting starts at 9:00 A.M.  However recently my boss pulled me aside and said to me: “I hate to do this to you but I want you to drive into the office, get a company car and drive to the meeting.”  I am a boss fearing person so I do not argue with my boss.  I follow his order.  I am in the office about 10 minutes before 8:00 A.M.  I get the company car and drive to the meeting.  The drive takes an hour if the traffic is normal.  I cannot take the train because it is slower.  The Construction Manager refuses to meet later because he has another meeting right after my meeting.  The meeting last about an hour and I drive back.  It is inefficient.  I lose two hours driving and the company lose gas and wear and tear on the car.  My boss is a reasonable person.  I think he has a reason behind that decision but he cannot tell me.

  I do not need to drive to the meeting in Jersey City.  I take the Path train and walk about 10 minutes.  The train fare is $1.75 each trip.  In the beginning I paid the fare but one of my coworker told me if I presented my company pass Path would honor the pass and allow me to go without having to pay the fare.  And I did that.

  In the Jersey City office there is a young secretary.  She is very nice and she calls me ahead of the time to remind me the meeting.  This morning she did not call and I went to the meeting as usually thinking she might forget to call.  I got to the meeting and did not see her so I asked about her.  The resident engineer told me she took a couple days off because her sister got murdered couple days ago.

  I am shocked.  Although I hear of the news about people get killed daily I do not expect violent death could happen to coworker’s relatives.

   

  • 8:58 pm
  • 5 Comments