The offer is no longer in the mail

Here I sit
Head hung low
Promised to write
But did not so...

Okay. A poet I am not. But that expresses my sentiment. I have not written anything to you for what seems to be a long time. I have many reasons and excuses. But I don't want to bore you with the list (for a nominal fee I will email you the list - please allow three weeks for delivery).

I am on Broad Key. I am an employee of University of Miami. There you go - status update.

The offer came through and was a touch better than expected. I think it fair. And since then my world has been a whirlwind. Between getting my house cleaned and "de-Galed" and work related tasks I have not stopped.  I realized yesterday that I had not stopped doing stuff from about 0700 to 2100 for three days. I don't think that it is always going to be like this. I am hoping this is just the initial phase. The house is dirty (not that I am a clean freak but...) and the previous keeper, Gale, left a legacy for me to address. His stuff, dirty house and general lack of organization. Plus he and the previous keepers were satisfied to just exist. I am not. I want this to feel like home.

The facilities here are generally in shambles. The researchers here, the previous keepers and the various maintenance folks have little sense of organization. There are rooms in the big house basement where you will see dirt on the floor, various paint pails, many coils of electric wire, concrete blocks, bed frames and water treatment chemicals all just thrown, literally, in the middle of the floor. There are some shelves in that room but you can not get too them. At least situations like these make it easy to make a good impression.  Two hours of work and the worst room will look SO much better.

As previously posted, the standards do need to be raised.  I know I have mentioned some issues like the refrigerator and the bed linens. I am sure I will have a fight on my hands. I want to spend money.  For example, I want to purchase two full sets of bed linens. I am sure I can get industrial linens reasonably inexpensively. I think it reasonable to have 20 beds made and 20 sets of linens in wash or ready status. Specially when you factor in the "solar drier". No electric drier.  Just hang them out. That is fine when it is not raining and the humidity is down. But I have clothes draped across my couch drying after they were on the line (oops, solar drier) a day ago.

Sorry. I am rambling. And I know it sounds like I am complaining. Not so.  These are just facts. Things with which I will be dealing in the future.

Basically that is where things are now.  I know this was not a fun read. Frankly I just wanted to get a catchup post to you.

cz, 1700 9/20/14