Back To The Suck

Was filling in at The Fourth Department yesterday, just for that one day.  My previous stint was two about two months ago.  Any bad moments have been filtered out; it was largely a pain-free experience, and I remember it now being much easier than it had been on previous occasions.  So, my thinking went, if I could just drop in for this one day and still feel as if I know everything that needs to be done, and if I can get through the day doing everything I need to do without staying late, that's when I know I've learned all I can learn at this position.

Ooh, no, that was so not the case.  I felt I was making good time when I got to the new stuff right around halfway, which is my marker as to how much the old stuff has held me back.  But I heard that my Main Department was swamped with work -- probably a ripple effect of the snowstorm down south that delayed a day's worth of shipments up here -- and more work for them eventually means more work for me.  Add to that several forms which I had no idea how to deal with.  My supervisor told me that needed to be handled differently -- I need to call these people for these, I need to e-mail these people for these, etc.

What resulted was a first, and an all-time worst: I left, I swear, at least a dozen new forms after leaving for the night.  I didn't count, but it's possible I left two dozen.  There was so much new work coming in well into the afternoon that, knowing my main main priority was getting forms tested for the overnight staff after all the information for them was correct and complete, I would not have time for the new stuff or the really complicated stuff.  Even then, with all the forms I was able to start the process of getting tested by our lab, I got out work 75 minutes later than I should have.  I had an important call at 6, but I had to reschedule it because there was just too much work I had to do before I left.

Before he left, my boss checked up on me.  I told him about the work I was about to leave for the guy who usually does this job.  He told me I should start my day back there and finish up.  Finishing up won't happen, especially with these special cases that I think I need to work on.  Man, I hope the guy I filled in for forgives me for the all the crap I'm about to leave him this morning.  He'll be surprised as hell when he comes in and sees me at his chair.

So, after going back to work at this department, I feel worse, not better.  I once again cannot understand how you can do everything you're supposed to do in eight hours.  I don't know how the guy I substituted for does it.  Maybe I'm not cut out for this job, because I can't keep staying after 75 minutes every damn day and feel like I accomplished anything, especially if I'm leaving late and still leaving work.  This is impossible.  This is horrible.