the id, the ego, & the single misfiring brain cell

It began on Saturday morning when a colleague called me saying she was at the ticket counter in Colorado Springs and her tickets weren't there. She was a bit excited, as only makes sense. I'm a problem-solver. I listened for a bit, did a little research on my work computer between calls, then made a command decision on expenditures to get her to Ireland. 

Why would I get this call? I'm the Resource Advisor, the person who keeps up with all department expenditures and helps make arrangements for TDYs--to a degree. 

Shortly after this second call, I got another call from the big boss who wanted to know (1) whose responsibility was it to ensure the tickets were paid for and (2) did we have the money to help. My answers were (1) ultimately, the traveller's responsibility, and (2) we did and she was on her way. I worked the situation as much as I could from my home computer that morning (and with no access to "duty hours" personnel to answer some questions, and--despite several weeks of trying to get my permissions corrected in the military's online travel system--still having no access to any of the information I needed in said system). I crunched numbers and came up with a plan to present to the boss as soon as I got to work on Monday. Then I got on with my weekend. 

This morning, Mich woke me with, "Aren't you going to physical therapy?"

Oh yes. I had manually put the appointment into three (unsynchronized) calendars and still threatened to forget. So I pulled on PT clothes, grabbed my uniform, and headed off. Before I left, I had a message from my supervisor saying that the boss wanted to see me at 10am at the latest. I texted back that I didn't know how long my PT appointment would take, but I'd be in immediately after that and seeing the boss about Saturday's problem was first on my list today. 

Of course, right? Anyway. 

The physical therapist was running late, so I didn't get to work until about 10:30. I changed into uniform immediately then immediately sought out the boss to ask what she needed. "I need to know what happened with the tickets," she said. Apparently, there was an email from the 2nd of June about "insufficient funds" when one of our authorizing officials had tried to approve the TDY. I knew I'd taken care of it, but I promised to look into it. 

It turns out that I had immediately taken care of this problem and alerted the AO who had told me about the insufficient funds. I found the evidence in my inbox and emailed the boss with my executive brief: My colleague didn't get her tickets because the orders hadn't been final approved--which is when the tickets are purchased. 

Then we had another meeting around noon. This time, many people were invited: the boss, my supervisor, me, the boss's executive assistant, the boss's executive officer, and the captain who is training to take my place.

She began with an admission that she was frustrated with what happened this weekend, and particularly "with you, Diana." She admitted that the traveller did share the responsibility, as ensuring she had tickets was ultimately her responsibility (I think she looked it up just to make sure because I'm quite sure she doesn't have a scrap of faith in me anymore). But other than that, the session was pretty much a full-blown attack on how poorly I handled the situation.

Apparently, it is my job to ensure every traveler has his tickets before he leaves.*

* No, it isn't. It never has been. 

Further, my "lack of urgency" in the matter is highly disturbing. If it had been [the boss], she would have been at work first thing this morning solving the problem.* 

* I worked the problem Saturday morning, then I had PT at 0900 today, before which it would have been laughable to expect answered phone calls or emails from the various people I needed to talk to. I took the situation very seriously, even though it wasn't my fuckup, because I want to take care of my colleague. I didn't act like the world was ending, but I did my job--competently and coolly. 

I should have emailed another AO when I got the finances worked out after the initial glitch with approving the orders.*

* Yes, but also, AOs are expected to keep an eye on their "inbox" to make sure all needed TDYs are dealt with in a timely manner. I'm not an AO anymore, but I was, which is why I know about this expectation; it's considered a conflict of interest with my job as Resource Advisor, for some reason. 

Also, we were told, "problems with DTS" is not an excuse. Mmmmmmright. It's been a glitchy system since its inception. "Improvements" to the system seem to have only rendered its glitches more unpredictable and interesting. (In my case, my permissions in the system migrated, without warning, from the humanities division to the cadet wing (?), which has no precedent; I had been trying to have this corrected for weeks, to no avail.)

Almost all of this was directed at me in front of an audience. Praise in public, correct in private (right). Worse...all of it was bullshit. 

Like a lamb before its shearers, I opened not my mouth. I just maintained neutral, expressionless eye-contact. When she was finished, I corrected the problem within 30 minutes, then returned to brief her on the state of the union before she left for the day. 

But really. That was just...wrong. Unprofessional. She's adding "just another data point" to her string when it comes to me, and it doesn't even need to make sense anymore. 

About that retirement thing...I made the right decision. I'm more convinced of this every day that passes. 

d