Been There, Done That

My Favorites…

Book: Germinal by Emile Zola

Album: Medusa , Annie Lennox

Time of Day: One hour before dawn: the birds are chattering. It’s a great time to collect my thoughts for the day since I can’t sleep anyway because of the noise.

Guilty pleasure: Long weekend naps.

Quote: “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is.” - Yogi Berra

When I was younger I wanted to be…

I wanted to be independent as soon as possible when I grew up.

The thing I value most about my job is…

I value that everyday there is something new to do.

The one thing I have to do everyday is…

The one thing I have to do [that I hate] is check other people’s messages.

The biggest fear I have conquered is…

Fear of not having a husband.

More About Me

I am turning 50 this November. My son just turned 18. He will graduate from high school in a few weeks and is going to college in the fall. I went to college when I was 16, but left before I got my degree. I’ve decided to finish, so I’m going back in September. Taking the three courses I need to graduate will cost more than a year’s tuition when I started. Of course my son is mortified that his mother will be in class with students his age. He’s instructed me to “say as little as possible.” I started working at the student newspaper in college, and that led to a career in graphic arts. About five years ago, I was offered a job as office manager in a school, and now I’m an administrative assistant in the office of the head of school at a big private school in New York. Having a support job is better the closer you get to the head of the organization: more interesting responsibilities; nicer offices; better gossip.As we all do, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, both at the workplace and at home. Some days I think I’ve got it made and some days I wonder where I went wrong. Life is like that.