I'm in class. I should be paying attention. But it's a redundant, boring class (reading assigned, said reading broken down verbatim on PowerPoint slides, said slides read verbatim in monotone), and I'm super tired and laden with blog-guilt. But there's a real, legit reason I've been too busy to update! The big exciting news I've been terrified to say anything too early about lest I jinx it is that I GOT A BIG GIRL JOB!
I am now employed at a local law firm which I will refer to from here on out as The Firm, as I don't want my chronicles of inexperience and moronic mistakes, of which there are already many and I'm sure many to come, to reflect poorly on the wonderful folks I work for. Especially since they have provided me with, essentially, THE perfect job for a CFer, or at least THIS CFer.
I was originally "interning"/helping out/generally hanging around doing grunt work learning by osmosis. One of the partners is in charge of maintaining the firm website, and needed it done but is busy beyond belief, so she asked me if I'd be willing to take on the project, and just come in the office when it worked for my schedule, or even take it home to work on it. Trying to angle for a "real" job eventually, I chose to do my work there, just to be a presence and all that networky stuff.
The last day of my first week of interny work, the receptionist/an associate attorney's paralegal randomly quit without notice. So Friday morning, I get a call from Partner 3 (as she will be referred to) called me at 8:30 to see if I could come in and answer phones, as her paralegal, the only other non-lawyer in this particular office (but not in the firm) had serendipitously had to go to the hospital the night before. I told her I was in my pajamas and in need of a shower, so it wouldn't be pretty, but I'd be there in half an hour. She came in to the office later that afternoon and asked if I'd be willing to come back on Monday as a "non-volunteer".
I did a little dance inside and agreed, simply grateful that I would now actually be making money to do anything, no matter how menial, related to the field I've chosen - particularly given the current economic climate, and given that many if not most of the people who've graduated when I did are working retail if they're lucky.
That was two weeks ago tomorrow. Earlier this week, a former paralegal for The Firm came in and interviewed for a position as a paralegal for Abandoned Associate (as he will be referred to from here on out), but only wanted something part-time. Gosh darn, what shall we do? Oh! Wait! Our perky and well-dressed new receptionist/web designer/office grunt is wrapping up her paralegal certification program, perhaps she'd be interested in working the other part-times! Would you, baby paralegal? Why of course, I reply, particularly once I was informed that this will more than likely evolve into something full time once I "graduate." On this one, I actually went to the bathroom and did a little dance.
As to the CF-related perfection of said position. Three of the named partners are close family friends of ours (one of whom I consider my unofficial Godfather, and whom I've repeatedly informed that family-be-darned, if something happens to my parents, I'm spending holidays at his house) and so most of the Firm is already well aware of at least the fact that I have CF, and many actually have some history and gory details, given their close-family-friend status. They know not to be worried when I cough, they aren't bothered by my snacking and food fixations, and the other paralegal at the office, referred to from hereon out as Sage (in honor of her above-and-beyond willingness to help me out as I learn the ropes), has actually started grabbing the phone for me in the few cases where I've been hacking my head off when it rings.
Also, Sage lives about an hour from the office, and so she's worked out an agreement with her supervising attorney, Partner 3, where she comes in half an hour early (8:00) and leaves at 4:30 instead of 5:00. So she was all too happy with my proposal to please, sweet Lord, let me come in at 9:00 and leave at 5:30 so I don't have to get up in the middle of the night to get all my treatments and dog-care done before I come to work. Speaking of commutes...mine is ten minutes...with traffic. So as long as I'm ready by 8:45, I'm golden. Seriously?! I have had to commute at least 20 minutes (usually more like 45) one way since I was in second grade until I graduated college - excluding an 8-month stint in an apartment near campus. So this whole hop-in-the-car and be there thing pretty much blows my mind.
The non-commute is wonderful just for its own sake, but it's even better from a CF logistics standpoint. If/when the time comes that I'm doing good to be awake and breathing at work, and/or I need to do home IVs, I'm close enough that I can come home at lunch and do an extra vest/saline treatment, or lay out/hook up to IV's, or even just take a quick nap if I need to.
Lastly, while I still dress pretty cute simply because the novelty hasn't worn off yet and I'm still trying to prove that I can and should be taken seriously, the office (and my house) is in SmallTown, in SmallCounty, so the dress code is simply "neat and professional" rather than "court-ready at all times" like it can be at big slick firms. This will be super important, I expect, during exacerbation lead-ups and home IV stints, when I'm doing good to be clean, let alone coifed.
That's all for now...my "CF Firsts", as well as ruminations on what I've learned, practically and existentially, to follow... especially now that I'm finally getting the hang of this "balance" concept (I tend to be a 110%, the bare minimum is my best type crazy person, so I have to burn myself out a little on anything new and worky and important and exciting to me, but I digress). Thanks for your patience with my nonblogging, dear bloggyfriends...just because I'm not posting doesn't mean I'm not keeping up with your bloggyworlds!
