Assumed Ineptitude

I've never been considered inept at my job. No one has ever asked if I should be wearing a helmet, or tried to put me on the short bus home. In fact--I'd say my lasting relationships with EVERY employer I've had since I entered the work force at the age of 16 are a testament to the fact that I'm a good employee--intelligent, hard working, and humorous when appropriate. Rather than itemize this list, citing specific examples for each job since my beginnings as an Old Navy sales associate, let's just say that if my job history was an entity, it would be hallowed. Despite the glowing resume, my current employer (The Job From Hell) appears to hate me.

In certain respects, I agree with their current demeanor. In every new job there's a moderate amount of hazing, so to speak. There's a period of time where they have to figure out whether you can actually be trusted to do the job they hired you to do; However, after week one, I've usually managed to jump past this and move forward with a joke and a smile. Not at TJFH.

This frustrates me.

If an actor slips past me at the end of the night and I am physically unable to hand them a callsheet, I will let you know, or I will take care of it myself by calling them directly. I do in fact understand that, in order to show up the next day, they need a time. If an actor isn't ready the second you call for them, I am pushing them as much as they can be pushed without freaking them out and pissing them off seconds before they are to appear on camera. If there is a hair change between scenes, it is not an exact science, and assigning it a specific numerical time doesn't change that. The hair department will do their best to get it done as fast as they can, which is not aided my me bugging them every five seconds for an update--it's going to take as long as it's going to take. If an actor doesn't show up on time, I will let you know. Surprisingly I have a callsheet too. After they've already shown up and I've already announced it, don't ask me if they're here. You'll know if they aren't and I don't need to call them out on their 4 minutes of tardiness.

But...apparently my discomfort with assigning specific times to hair jobs, my calm demeanor when actors run a few minutes late, and my efforts to abide by the actor's requests and keep them in their trailer hanging out rather than on set in the 900 degree weather, and keeping them happy by staying out of their asses... all this makes the folks at TJFH "very uncomfortable."

Gee--I'm sorry I make you "uncomfortable" and I'm sorry you see nothing but my assumed ineptitude. For two weeks now I've been extremely bothered by it and felt like I've been doing something wrong. But now, my TJFH friends, I've decided that it's not me, and from now on--what you see is what you get. It has become somewhat entertaining to watch you scurry around and double check every task I'm assigned and every routine move that I make. So--if all you see is an imbecilic trainee with nothing to contribute, that's what you get. And while extreme boredom may become a regular part of my day, I think my feeble minded other half will learn to fill the time.

Only forty more days, TJFH and then maybe you'll get a top shelf trainee instead of just the wells. Or perhaps you'll think they suck too, which seems more likely.