What can I say—save for goldfish and hermit crabs, I’ve never really had a pet. Dogs scare me, cats make me sneeze, and cockatoos and I have never been too comfortable around each other. So what was I thinking when I took the newly created position of Administrative Assistant at this wildlife place where there were more attack-geese and blue jays than I could have ever imagined? Quite frankly, I’m not too sure.
My first day on the job, I sat at a small desk in the hospital room with little birds peeping all around me, the washing machine whirring, and Stevie the cockatoo hollering from upstairs. This workspace was much different than I had imagined when I was sitting in my apartment in State College initially discussing the job with Beth. I spent most of the day with phone to one ear and my finger in the other—confused and a bit overwhelmed.
Five cans of paint, three dozen nails, four tables, three desks, a new copy machine and computer, and a slew of pens and pencils later the office was finished. It was not until then that I met my supervisor. He was about 1’6” standing, had yellowish-green eyes, and seemed to enjoy chewing on me. Yes, Froggy the cat was most content sitting and licking himself right in the middle of what I was doing. When he was bored with this activity, he sought amusement by dancing on the computer keyboard, producing a symphony of error beeps. I learned as I went that everything I did had to be officially “frogafied” which included a good bit of sniffing and investigating on Froggy’s part.
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