10:09 p.m. | 2003-06-05 Today Was A Perfect Day For A Field Trip. You know, I love my job, but I�m having a blast training Intern. Of course, at this point, it�s not helping me get my job done. Neither will moving during the busy season, when I usually put in extra hours, but hey, that�s life sometimes. I�ve been trying to explain some things to Intern about MyOtherWorkPlace, and it was just getting too difficult to do without a field trip across the street. I just gave up trying to get anything I had planned to do today done, as I just seemed trapped in a hamster�s wheel. Here�s that. (CI:) Intern, have you ever been to MyOtherWorkPlace? (Intern:) No. (CI:) Do you want to go over there? (Intern:) Yes! (CI:) Okay, hang on. (Going to Boss� office.) Hey Boss, can I take Intern to MyOtherWorkPlace? (Boss:) I don�t care. Now, I know my portrayal of Boss probably makes her seem extremely laid back, but she�s just not a micro-manager. Thank God. She does indeed care, very much actually, about our work and getting things done. She�s just a �big picture� kind of person. She leaves the details up to us. Which is just the kind of boss I love. I was hitting a wall with Intern though. I�m trying to teach him things to help us, but if he doesn�t have a sense of the big picture, it�s a lot tougher making things make sense. If that makes sense. Heh. So Intern and I went to MyOtherWorkPlace this afternoon. First, we had to get through security at the entrance. He set off the alarms because of his cell phone. Then we dropped in on some proceedings so he could see the process live with real people and stuff. But we had to go through even more security first. I passed, no problem. But good God! You youngsters come with way too many accessories. Poor Intern had to empty all his pockets and remove his sunglasses and he still couldn�t pass. He had to undergo the magic wand body scan. The problem? His belt and shoes. Heh. I have a very well-dressed, fashionable Intern. Myself? Well, not so much. But, of course, I�m used to all this stuff, so I dress accordingly. Finally, we got in. We sat down and watched the proceedings firsthand. We had to whisper, of course, but Intern had millions of questions. I could answer most, but we had to save some for Boss. We alternated between watching the process and people watching. Frankly, we might as well have been watching soap operas or something. We got so hooked, we didn�t want to leave. I love to teach/train and have done both for many years, and I have to say, it�s really fun when you have an interested and enthusiastic student. Finally, at a good stopping point, I had to suggest that we leave and stood up to emphasize my point. Then he asked me another question, so we were standing and whispering for a moment and this happened. (Official:) Excuse me miss, but you can�t stand. You can sit or leave but you can�t stand. (CI:) (Turning around.) Sorry, we were actually standing up to leave. (Official:) (Noticing our ID badges.) Oh, I�m sorry, you�re from MyWorkPlace. Boy, you guys must be really bored if you�re watching this stuff! We smiled and left. I showed him around, introduced him to people we ran into, and explained stuff. He just couldn�t get enough. Ironically, it turned into a 3-hour tour. Then we went back to the office. Here�s that. (CI:) Hi Boss. (Boss:) Where have you guys been? (CI:) I told you� we went to MyOtherWorkPlace. (Boss:) Well, I didn�t think you guys would be gone for so long! (CI:) We got hooked on the proceeding. (Boss rolls her eyes.) We didn�t think we�d be gone this long either. We just, um, well, we just couldn�t leave until that issue was resolved. Sorry. (Boss:) God, that stuff is so boring. (Shaking her head at us.) (CI:) And, we have some questions for you. (Boss:) (Rolls her eyes.) What do you want to know now? See, boss worked at MyOtherWorkPlace for 20 years or so. This stuff is all rather mundane to her. And, I constantly amaze her with my brilliant ignorance about it all. But, apparently, she�s taught me well. I still have tons to learn but now I have an even more ignorant partner-in-learning � Intern. Hey, someone more ignorant than me! Finally! Well, ignorant in this area. He actually has a ton of knowledge about another industry that both Boss and I are ignorant about. And, he comes with all kinds of cool accessories. Heh. your thoughts? seed flower