Peggy's Got a Job!

Yes, a job. For now I am doing temp work. I went in last Wednesday to see the Kelly Services woman at Booz Allen Hamilton about just doing temp work. I took a computer test the same day and scored very high - go figure. I would have had to seek asylum someplace if I had done poorly. Then I got a call the following Tuesday to start work the next day. Seems the temp who was in that job had a horrible toothache and was not often there. Tsk. First rule is to be there or decline the job. My rule, that is. I think that's the only rule.

I am working as an Executive Assistant. Read secretary. My first job is with a Senior Vice President at Booz Allen. This is the company where my sister-in-law works. I called my friends who do this kind of work to get advice and they both seemed to think I'd be okay. I'm okay. It gets to be a little boring at times because I'm only temping for the guy. This is interspersed with moments of horror when he asks me about stuff that I do not have A clue about. My favorite was when he asked for reservations at "Don Dominico's" in 10 minutes. No idea. I did my favorite thing, Googled. It is really Da Domenicos. I had called them in two minutes. Mind you, I don't know ANYthing in this area. What would I have done without the Internet? Without my best friend, Google?

I have an interview in a couple of weeks to work for a VP in the same firm. That might be more interesting. At least I won't have to pull out my Ipod to keep me awake.

And what have I been listening to? I read Modern Times by Paul Johnson. This is a very long book, so I read a couple of mysteries inbetween sections. This book was split into 6 sections by Audible. That means that it is very, very long. And why not? The subtitle is something like the history of the world from 1920 to 1990. That's a lot to cover. He does have a bias. This time we are leaning to the right. That's not the usual for me, but don't you think you need to be balanced in what you read?

I found it to be very interesting. In fact, it was sometimes difficult to switch to a mystery when a section ended. But I know my mind will drift if I listen to the same book for 37 hours. One very good thing is that he writes about non-European countries. I'd forgotten what was happening in India and Pakistan in the 70's. It's fascinating to hear that, now that India has started to do so well. It may be that I had a totally wrong impression of Indira Gandhi. Johnson did not care for her one bit. All this means is that I have to read more on the topic. Maybe I'll find a good book that tells about India's history for the last 60 years. Maybe something with a different perspective. Lean to the left, lean to the right.

All in all, I would recommend this book as a good starting place, or a place to give a broad overview/refresher of modern world history. One review I read on Amazon was very amusing. I guess a high school student had an assignment to read a section of this book. He found it very tough going because it was filled with French. The poor student was about to miss his deadline because the book was too much for him. But not for my friends.

One of the books I read in the middle of Modern Times was The Spies of Warsaw. This does it. No more Alan Furst. His story is an interesting little slice of life in the run up to WWII. Not a mystery, not a thriller, just a story. That goes nowhere. The last book I read by Furst was read inside out, I'd started on the second half of the book by mistake. It made no difference. I'm sure that would have been the same for this book. What kind of story is he telling that can be read in any direction? One the you would not want to waste your money on.

The Best Defense is yet another courtroom story by Kate Wilhelm. I did enjoy this one. I always like her stories, which are set in Eugene, Oregon. I think this one was on sale by Audible. It's one of her earlier stories, so the protagonist, Barbara Holloway, is moving in with her father at the end of the book and I could have sworn she was already there. This book starts out with a murderer who is impossible to defend. Can anyone tell how this will turn out? Even if it would be pointless for Barbara to lose, how she gets to the end is interesting.

So much to do before my interview on 8/25. Do you know that people don't wear jeans to the office here? The women wear suits! Culture shock all over the place. I swear I will try to hold on my Southern California roots. Maybe I'll have a pink streak put in my hair.