Letter to Steve

Hi, Steve-

Hope things aren't Too hectic...

I went to the doctor to get checked out and hadn't anticipated not being allowed to work due to my ulcerative colitis, and the effect it and recent developments at work had on me both physically and otherwise.

I had written an e-mail to Mac, as you'd suggested, so did my wife- telling him how I felt about certain things, plus my thoughts and suggestions for the future, including summer projects. Things I was hoping to do with the next images, etc.

I also suggested that since you and I have worked well together, I felt that with your getting a bit more involved in Macs if you wished- with some training and workshops as we'd gone to at NERIC, we'd have sufficient Mac backup if any new person could provide a backup to not only me but others- that I agreed, and felt strongly there should be Mac support if I were out sick or on vacation. But we didn't need a "clone" of me- there's a lot of other stuff to go around for an entry-level position.

I also mentioned that of all the candidates whose resumes, e-mails, and applications I saw, the only one I had something negative to say about was Ryan Faas, based on past experience.

To my shock and horror, Mac went after him, called him, scheduled an interview- and last I heard from Melinda- was offered the job.

I don't know what to make out of that, and maybe I don't want to think about that too much. What also surprised me was that from the get-go, Ryan had initially written to Mac that he wasn't sure about full-time due to all his other commitments. But he'd "bake some cookies" for him if he were offered something part-time. O-kaay...

I had told both Mac and Lynn that I did not like him as a candidate, and wrote so as part of my comments on my first and last day on the "interview committee."

Mac did not like my e-mail in general and seemed to totally misunderstand parts of it. I was trying to be completely honest in one last-ditch attempt to take a  big load off my mind. This included mentioning how many users feel about approaching the help desk. I felt it was a responsibility to bring that to his attention, not only because it bothered me. He thought I was "attacking" because I "felt attacked."

No, I was just getting carried away telling the truth.

So I am trying to get my health back, will be seen by my primary physician in a month, trying not to think too much aboutBCSD. I feel bad I couldn't be there till at least the end of June to provide Mac support, and please pass that on to any users who may be asking about my absense. I miss supporting them and doing my job- as you can imagine, there are other things about going into work that I surely do not miss at all.

(Another surprise was that even though I am out on "medical leave," Mac asked for my keys, laptop, drives, documentation- all of which I had my wife bring in for me.)

At the moment, I'm taking it a day at a time till my next doctor's appointment. I sure am sleeping a lot, and I'm hoping my stomach calms down soon. I thought I'd be a "new man" after a couple of days off, but apparently not the case.

Hope it doesn't get too rough out there- keep me posted, but, since I don't plan on checking my BCSD mailbox if I can help it, I can be reached at auramac@aol.com.

Mitch