On The Job

I have a part-time job in the On-Call department at the LDS Church headquarters. It's been a nice little arrangement. I've been doing this for a few years and have figured out in which departments I like to work. So I very much pick and choose my assignments. The only benefit to this job, besides the little bit of income I get when I actually work, is a parking pass to the underground parking garage at the Church Office Building. In fact, to keep my parking pass, I only have to accept one on-call assignment at year...I digress.

Anyway, for the month of March, I accepted an assignment in the Public Affairs Department. So, I'm an 8 to 5, punch the clock, employee for awhile. I'm working at the main receptionist desk and never know what kind of caller may be on the other end when I pick up the phone.

Here's a few phone calls I've had this week:

1. Father wanted to know what the Church's policy is about girls between the ages of 5 and 8 wearing fingernail polish. There is no policy on this one, in case you're wondering. Parents are on their own.

2. A woman calls about everyday incensed about a book set in Germany in WWII that has been recently published that has a character who is an LDS SS agent. She calls so frequently that I recognize her phone number on caller ID and I've only been on the job 5 days. I'm not really sure what she expects me to do about it.

3. I answered the phone today and a caller asked me if I could tell her how to spell "Brigham Young". If it was a test, I'm pretty sure I passed.

4. Several people have called asking random questions that I quickly found the answer to by "googling" the subject while talking to them. Most of the questions had absolutely nothing to with Public Affairs, or the Church. Makes me wonder if there are still people in the world that don't have access or use a computer.

The way things go here, I think that I'll have some material for posts over the next few weeks. Stay tuned.