Well, it took two Saturdays and a marathon 12 1/2-hour day yesterday (Monday). But with a projected full-enough day today (Tuesday), we will finally get done with this project. Surprised that it actually went the distance and, since it technically was supposed to be done yesterday (Monday), then some. (So did my first scoring project for this test scoring place: It went over by a day. This is something I could get used to.)
Unlike the last one, which had so many questions with so few responses for each that we were starting and stopping sometimes multiple times a day, this project only had two questions. We started on one, then we went to the other about eight days later, which we stayed on until it got finished yesterday (Monday) in the afternoon, and now we are going back to the first question until completion. I think we actually stayed on that second question too long: I think we were on it for about ten straight days. What I would have done was alternate during each day -- one question for the morning, the other after lunch. That way we wouldn't have to re-familiarize ourselves with the first question, which I did for much of the long day yesterday (Monday).
Nevertheless, even though this project was less than three weeks long, I will miss it, terribly. It's mostly because, as it always is, due to the people. First of all, the overall boss is really chill. Unlike management in the first project (who were still quite good), she wasn't overly upset if we didn't so so many papers an hour, or talked with our neighbors, or went to the bathroom every hour, or came back from lunch 5 or even 25 minutes late, which has happened. If anything, she's a little too chill; I wouldn't mind a little standard-setting from her. But she's good, and I don't mind serving under her again.
More importantly are the three co-workers I had the pleasure and honor of serving with along our line of two plastic tables. I spoke about them already, but I have to say that together, we had taken a break from grading papers and kibitzed about everything from unions to wormholes to fast food to, yesterday/Monday, reality TV. It has been fun, and more importantly, an important brain break to prevent us from ramming our heads through the laptop screen at the umpteenth kid who thought two descriptions describing the same area of the world were two different areas of the world or just flat-out copied the entire essay, thereby forcing us to evaluate if the child is actually "answering the question" (and more often than not, that is not considered copying.)
The only big thing I object to is people suddenly being promoted to immediate supervisors based on one test, especially those that have never scored tests before. Really, that's just bullshit, and I hope to quickly find the initiative to complain about it. But that one thing might be a deal-breaker, and it's something that compels me to look for another temp job. Look, I am really shocked that this place would wind up doing something so amateurish, and so I do not look forward to this massive project beginning in August because I think I'll be marching back into this same shit again. So I have to metaphorically pound the pavement for some other work, but I don't know if there is any around.
In the meantime, I'll have about a month to just loaf around and convince my parents that I'm still being a productive boy. That'll take a lot out of me, and I don't know if I'm up to the task. And right now I actually do not look forward to having so much free time. I would rather make money for the new laptop I know I have to buy, or the vacation that I'm still trying to keep for next month.
Technically, my break after this is over is only two days: I have been told by the room boss that we are back at Friday, but for only four days' worth of special questions. (Last week she said only two days, and so we would be working Saturday. She has a tendency to change her mind, so I'm still not absolutely convinced that we have four more days of work.) I can keep myself busy for two days. But after that's all done? I don't know. And so that's why I'm feeling kind of anxious tonight.
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