Day One

When I rolled over in bed this morning, my first cognitive thought was, “Wow. Maybe that was all just a bad dream.” Then I opened my eyes and my gaze fell first on my clock and then on the three-inch binder on the desk, the latter a clear indication that no, yesterday had been in fact quite real, I am employed, and I had a lot of work to do.

Okay, I’m not “working on the weekends.” I did bring home a binder of recently approved form letters to get a background of where my Member is on the issues. But it is going to be a daunting task to get ahead on all this.

But I am getting ahead of myself. The facts are as follows.

Everyone at work is really great. They welcomed me warmly and I think it will be a good place for me to be. There are (by my count) 13 staffers besides myself; the 10-year-veteran Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff (who was my predecessor, and is also a senior LA), the Legislative Director, three LAs, two Staff Assistants, two Interns, the scheduler, the personal assistant, and the press guy.

That said, based on my first day I am scared out of my mind at the amount of influence and responsibility I have. Apparently they have this idea that I know a lot about policy. The fact is that I can fake it really well… but Medicare? Medicaid? I know so little about the details of those! I have to do some research on that this weekend since that is basically *the* issue of the moment.

My job is this. I am responsible for writing all the letters, whether that means delegating to the LAs or pounding them out myself. This office is apparently well-known for the quality of their constituent services; it is in fact the hallmark of their office. My predecessor, JP, says he wrote 5,000 letters in his one-and-a-half year tenure. They have Democrats in the district voting for him overwhelmingly just because he listens and responds to them. (He won his ’04 reelection 75-25 if that gives you any idea.) Translation: big shoes to fill.

I am also responsible for briefing the SAs, LAs and interns on all the policy issues so they don’t say the wrong thing when they’re on the phone with a constituent. (As JP put it, “If they screw up, you’re going to have to clean it up.”) Translation: a lot of multitasking and breaking out the drum major whistle – or at least the mentality.

So, as you might imagine, I’m gulping right now. It’s a lot more than I would have dreamed to ask for, and right now I’m overwhelmed. But it is an opportunity to wake up every morning and say, “Lord, I know I cannot get through this day without Your intervention. Show me what it is that needs to get done and lead me through it.” That will be good for me. But it’s going to take some getting used to.

In the meantime, I am putting stuff together to decorate my office. And I went shopping at the local Salvation Army for some stuff I needed, and got a steal on some great shirts and a pair of shoes for the new suit. *grin*

So, it looks like the job chronicle is coming to an end. Does that mean I might actually start writing about substantive, meaningful things on my blog now? Hmm… there’s a thought. Only time will tell…