When I lived in Chicago, my first job was as a copywriter at an electronics catalog. It was a temp job, so in addition to being treated like a slave, my poorly paid position could be eliminated at any moment. I worked crammed in a room with the catalog and product managers, proofreaders, line artists, and the support staff (including the office manager). There were about five of us temps, and we were put under the supervision of the office manager, Jewel, who very shortly after I was hired took an extended leave of absence to care for her carpal tunnel syndrome. Her assistant, Denise, efficiently stepped up to the plate, handling Jewel’s work as well as her own with a pleasant manner. The funny thing about Denise was that she kept the Legend of Jewel alive in the months her boss was gone. According to Denise, Jewel was the cat’s pajamas; she was smart and kind and hard-working and a joy to work with. When, after some months, Jewel eventually returned, she turned out to be a bitch on wheels. She was mean and inefficient, and she clamped down upon the temps like a Lady Pinochet, to the point that we had to ask her for permission to use the bathroom. The office morale, which had not exactly thrived under Denise but was at least tolerable, plunged into the toilet (it was the only thing that didn’t have to ask Jewel’s permission to go).

The company itself was a whirpool of incompetence, petty politics, and despair. During my first week, I was informed that bets were being taken as to how long I would last on this difficult, badly paying job. Apparently, the temp who had held my position before I did went to lunch one day and did not return. I stuck it out for about six hellish months before I found work someplace else.

I don’t know why I’m thinking about this today, except that perhaps I’m casting my mind out to when I lived in other cities to avoid thinking about the ramifications of living in this one, which two years ago tomorrow was the site of the unthinkable horror. But for the sake of my fragile sanity, I will write no more on the subject now, nor will I be posting tomorrow at all.

See you Friday, September 12.