A is for Adaptations

It's funny. Now that I actually have interesting things to write about, I find I don't have the time.

Actually, scratch that. I have the time, it's just that I don't have the energy. I'm still finding myself coming home after work and collapsing on the couch. Maybe I'm still getting back into the swing of things. After all, I had a four month period when I pretty much could eat and sleep whenever I felt like it.

I'm really not complaining. I still love my job. It's been hectic, with every school in the area trying to get in that last field trip before class id dismissed for the summer. The weather has not been cooperative; it's been rather rainy, so every morning I am greeted by messages on my voice mail from school that don't want to walk around the Zoo in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Last week, the rainy days fell in the middle of a three-day special event we had planned for International Migratory Bird Day. We had scheduled activities for the attending school kids where they were banded as flocks of birds and "migrated" to different stations around the Zoo. Each station represented a challenge that migratory birds had to face in their return to their breeding grounds, and the "flock's" fate was determined by a random number drawing. Each number signified a different scenario and outcome, ranging from fatality to successful breeding.

I got to work at challenge stations on two out of the three days. The first say I was stationed at "Collision with Manmade Structures," and the second I was at "Natural Predators." For the most part, it was lots of fun. The kids were very enthusiastic, and their excitement made the volunteers enjoy it all the more. It was rather depressing, though, to tell a group of bright-eyed (and rain-soaked) first graders that they had been "killed" by a peregrine falcon or had "fatally collided" with a communications tower and therefore would not be looking for a mate and raising chicks this year. But the kids took their fates in good stride, and it got me away from my desk for a few days.

And I got a free Charley Harper T-shirt, which is always a good thing.

One of the main requirements of this job, I have discovered, is flexibility and adaptation. Outdoor programs are constantly being moved inside due to inclement weather. In addition to answering the phone and scheduling school groups, I have to be ready to set up chairs and tables for programs, juggle room assignments for late arriving groups (and forgetful staff members), and assist in getting animals for demonstrations at a moment's notice. I have to be able to refer phone calls about billing errors, the price of the train ride, and what to do about hormonal male robins that have mistaken their reflections in windows for competition.

The latest adaptation came in the form of a cancellation of the Zoo's participation of Action Auction. Although we support public television, it was decided that we should not participate when fur coats are being auctioned. And personally, I agree. I'd feel uncomfortable taking bids for a coat made from dead animals while representing an organization dedicated to conservation.

And that frees up another night this week. Hooray! I have another evening to waste watching bad TV, laughing at my cats chase each other around the house, and playing online spades! (My social life continues to be glamorous, as you all can tell.)

I'm still working more hours than I'm scheduled for. I'm still bolting my lunch at my desk, on the days I actually get to grab lunch. But I don't mind. It's a different experience from working in corporate America. The stress is still there, but it's a different kind of stress. There's still deadlines and insanity, but most of it is concerned with getting the right group of kids to the right animal demonstration, and teachers that aren't sure if they'll be bringing enough chaperones for their scheduled field trip. And I'll take that over sending out checks from sold stocks any day of the week.