New co-worker

So I've got a new co-worker at the office who started working there last Monday.

Normally, that wouldn't be a big deal, and certainly not blog-worthy. The Town Talk is a big place. People come and go. It's only natural. When I worked at The Ruston Daily Leader, a paper much smaller and with a more intimate work force, it was a big deal when someone left or started. Here in Alexandria, not so much.

But last Monday was rather historic, as my wife began a new job at The Town Talk. No, Elizabeth is not a journalist. She has no journalism background. But she's working at the newspaper. While exact roles are up in the air (as they are for all us as we are redesigning a new setup at the paper), Elizabeth's main tasks are to archive our paper and assist with the Web site.

So far, she tells me, she's enjoying things. Sometimes, her cubicle is pretty hectic. Other times, she can work in relative anonymity -- the way she likes it.

Elizabeth's favorite thing about her new job is we've gotten a chance to carpool. Seriously, she loves it. Brings a big smile to her face. Working with a spouse is not a foreign concept to me. My mother and stepfather, until recently, have worked at the same job for 4-5 years. So it's nothing big to me. But it's amusing to see how much Elizabeth enjoys it.

Last week and this week, Elizabeth has been working 9-6 from Monday through Friday. Beginning next week, I believe, she'll switch to a 1-10 p.m. shift, before eventually moving to her "normal" shift of 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. from Tuesday through Saturday.

Now, there are pros and cons to this. For the first time since we moved to Alexandria, we'll have a two-day "weekend" where we are off together. It's tough when your days off are different. While working at the bank, Elizabeth was off Saturday and Sunday. I'm off Sunday and Monday. With Sunday being church day where we teach a group of middle schoolers, that leaves absolutely no time to do things together or do any traveling. So it'll be nice to be off together.

As for the con, at least until something changes, Elizabeth and I will be working criss-cross shifts. I work from 9-6 Tuesday through Thursday and from 3-whenever on Friday and Saturday. So that'll give us two days a week where we're not seeing each other as I'm leaving the building and she's entering. Now, I'm under the impression that my situation at work will eventually change. And I'll give everyone more details as they become more clear. But for right now, I don't know when my job's going to change. But it most likely will mean me moving to nights, so Elizabeth and I are at least on similar shifts.

We're excited in the McCormick household for Elizabeth's new job. She didn't particularly enjoy banking, and this new position is more down her alley. She can use some of her technology skills. Plus it's a foot in the door for a huge company that gives us plenty of options in the future.

Reading material

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061222/NEWS01/612220338/1002/NEWS17

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061224/NEWS01/612240301/1002/NEWS17

Submitted for your reading pleasure are two stories worthy of winning awards -- not because of anything I wrote, but simply because of the stories that needed to be told.

The first story is one of perseverance, work ethic and never giving up. The second one is a story of an amazing young woman whose selflessness apparently knows no bounds.

Due to vacations, writers on leave and other craziness, I pulled double duty this past week -- playing both editor and writer. So I had both of these stories essentially fall in my lap. And I was glad to tell them.

Playing reporter for a week made me realize how much I missed writing. It was a lot of fun, even with all of my other responsibilities and generally feeling overwhelmed. But we got the job done and got the paper out.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading the two stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.