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Calamity Jennye




Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Tiny Victories are Better Than No Victories At All

I've been feeling very guilty lately for being a bad "blogger".
I have to tell you all honestly that absolutely nothing has happened in my life this week (aside from my complete inability to spell the word absolutely. Someone pour another glass of wine :)  ).
I did start a new job and I have to say that so far it is marvelous. There is a ton to learn, as with any new job. But I am up for the challenge.
So far my favorite of the new work challenges is developing x-rays. Just being in the darkroom takes me right back to middle school yearbook. I used to love developing the photographs. Cropping them, leaving them for the right amount of time in the right solutions. It made me feel so powerful to be able to exercise patience and knowledge and get the pictures to come out exactly how we wanted them...darker or lighter. I still remember that little darkroom in the Seahawk (or maybe Osprey) hallway of Sprinbrook Middle School.
It's sort of nice to enter a mini time machine every time I go down to develop the x-rays. Like I'm sent back to a time when there really were no worries in my life at all. Because honestly I just didn't care if that girl didn't like me. And the one who thought I was a bitch (I know that because she told me to my face) I just didn't care about her at all.
Well the new challenge, in my new darkroom is after the x rays are developed. These days there's a machine to control their time in the proper solutions. But after they come out I have to put them into a sleeve in the proper order to actually resemble the persons mouth. It's like a giant jigsaw puzzle, except there's not picture on the box. The first time someone left me alone to place all of the x-rays, 16 mind you. I thought, there is no way on earth I can get these in the right place. I thought for a moment I might cry.
Then strategic Jennye swooped in, almost like there was a phone booth around or something, and my brain went wait...this is a challenge (cause 'strategic Jennye' speaks only in italics), "I can beat these x-rays and have fun doing it." Now it's my favorite part of the job.
After they're all in the proper little slots (getting them into the silly little slots is no small feat in itself mind you) I bring them upstairs, hold my breath while I put them in the light box, and just hope no one says; "great, but can you swap these two?".
And even if they do I still feel a sense of victory. A week ago I had no idea what dentists were even looking for on x rays...and now I swear to you I looked at a set of x rays today and before I could stop myself I said (out loud and alone in semi dark room) "this guy has great teeth".

So what has your victory been this week? 

2 comments:

  1. I finished my knitting project today! Yay! It might be too big though :( But I made something bigger than a scarf :)

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  2. Sorry not feeling the victory thing.
    Unless does having a very nice tan in April qualify. When i look in the mirror, i see some resemblance of victory. Be it ever so humble...

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