paycheck

I haven't been paid yet, or reimbursed for any relocation costs, because it takes about a million years to open a bank account here. But my account will be open today or tomorrow, and then I am going to get the largest single deposit of money into my account of my entire life, by an order of magnitude. It'll include my first month and a half of employment, the week I worked in Geneva early in the summer, my relocation allowance, and my housing allowance. I will get paid back separately for the costs of my trip over here, which net out to just about $400 with the amount I had to borrow to cover the costs of finding and securing housing.

Moving is expensive as hell, so at the moment I have less money than I've had in my account in years. But soon I will have more money than I have ever had. Getting paid is exciting.

incomplete list of vacation ideas

Won't be able to do all of these, but here's a start.

Lahore in a couple of weeks
SE Asia around New Year's (found a ticket for $970 that goes Islamabad-Bangkok-Phuket-Bangkok-Singapore-Saigon-Islamabad...wow)
Oman for a long weekend
Jordan for a long weekend
Jordan and Lebanon for a week+ with M&D
Balkans for a week+ with M&D
Gilgit-Baltistan, possibly trek to K2 although that takes two weeks
Berlin to visit Tahar and Laura (see if can tack onto work trip)
Scandinavia (see if can tack onto work trip)

puppies in the park

Went for a hike this afternoon with RF, SRB, and another friend. It was a gorgeous day, 75 degrees and sunny with much better visibility than a few days back. We hemmed and hawed a bit about which trail to take and ended up choosing one that goes sideways instead of up the hills. Great choice: we had it completely to ourselves. The other trails get crowded on nice weekend days. We ended up in a park about a mile from my house that I'd never been to or even really noticed. Had an ice cream sandwich and then as we were leaving to walk back to where RF had parked his car, we noticed...PUPPIES! So many six-week old labs and German shepherds. Some young guys had brought them to the park to sell. Obviously, I'm not in the market, but man they were so damn cute. So we got on the ground and blissed out for a while. The guys were really nice and a couple of them spoke great English. They work as call center operators for U.S. insurance companies. Also, they're Christian. Best possible healing for the devastating loss last night, about which no more need be said.

On the way back SRB asked her driver to stop at Kohsar market so I could finally buy vegetables and meat. Now I have food to cook for the first time in Pakistan.

All in all, an exceptionally successful day.

Now, to get fitted for a tux and eat some Thai food.

the haze

Well, Gilgit got cancelled. Woke up at 5:30 on Thursday morning, got to the airport in plenty of time, met the Canadians and my colleagues, drove around the runway to the helicopter hangar, had some tea, took off, got over the Margalla hills, turned around, came back to ISB. The pilots need a certain level of visibility to fly through the high passes: the heli only goes up to about 11,000 or 12,000 feet and some of the passes are above 10,000. And it's all sight-flying. The haze was intense on Thursday and I doubt we had more than a kilometer of visibility. Better disappointed than a flaming wreck.

We were going to try again yesterday but the visibility was still terrible, so mission aborted. Bummer, mostly for the visiting Canadian; the other two live here so we'll take them another time. Thursday and Friday then turned into really intense work days, culminating in me getting very pissed at a colleague for doing something very stupid and easily avoidable with one of our partners. Given that half my title is "Partnerships," this is an error that is my responsibility to smooth over and correct. Managed not to say anything rash, but I'm going to talk with the dude on Monday. He will be offended no matter how carefully I finesse it. However, he can't do that shit again, so, whatever, suck it up.

Last night I went to another leaving barbecue for the couple whose previous leaving party I used as a birthday celebration platform last weekend. Sad that they're skipping town so soon, what nice people! They invited me to Scotland and I think I'll take them up on it next year. Surely will have to be in London for work at some point so I could tack a few days on for a quick trip up north. After the barbecue I went to an 80s party at the Brit Club. Getting in was a bit of an adventure but my new buddy RL came through in the clutch and managed to talk the guards into bending the rules for SRB and me. I've described this before, but in short: Non-members need someone to sign them in. Members have a limit to the number of people they can sign in, and the limit is lower if they live off-compound. RL lives in F-8, I think. All good in the end, much dancing, some truly excellent costumes, minimal drama. My 80s get-up was solid, actually, in no small part thanks to a rad wig that RL lent me.

Also, RF returned Thursday from his two weeks in the UK. He drove me to the barbecue, so we had a little time to catch up. Apparently I am the source of gossip, mainly because I am new and physically attractive. Describing people at a gathering he'd just come from, I believe the phrase he used was, "They all think you're beyond the Ivy League." Somehow that's very British. At the barbecue, a woman came over while I was talking with the hostess, to say something to her, and interrupted herself to say to me, "You're very good-looking." And later a gay Pakistani dude at the Brit Club told me he was "enjoying the whole visual experience" of looking at me. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice for people to think I'm hot.

So that gossip is nice. The other gossip, which I'd been warned about by a couple of people even before I left the US, is speculation about whether I'm hooking up with anyone. It's a small scene and, again, I'm new and an unknown quantity. So on the one hand, it makes sense that people would be talking about that. On the other hand, mind your own business. Perhaps it's just the cost of the scene being so open and welcoming: Everyone is very comfortable with each other and with new faces, at least at a surface level, and that means taking the propriety filter off. Oh well. Will do my best not to participate.

Going to the gym now to squat for the first time in more weeks than I've gone without squatting since...2009? Will play it conservative. And then I need to go see a guy about a tuxedo. And get my hair cut. Errand day!

And then, tonight: The Game. May the internet connection be fast, and may the feeds be smooth and crisp. And may Michigan beat the everloving daylights out of OSU.

better not rain tomorrow

Assorted thoughts on the week:

If the first day of rain since I arrived is the day that I'm supposed to fly in the helicopter up to Gilgit and then Hunza, I'm gonna be so pissed. So, so very pissed.

Skype is just amazing when it works. Talked to M, D, and L this morning on video chat and the sound was unbelievably good. No lag, no breaking up.

There is a lot of work to be done here around to turn our actually quite good gender policy into action.

The restaurant in the basement of the office building is satisfactory and reasonably cheap (a bit under $5 for AYCE buffet). I am never bringing lunch.

Calling and writing to congressional offices is another thing I can do from here to fight Trump. Other than give money, which I'm already doing. That is a good discovery.

Got excited this morning, on the Skype call, about vacations. Trying to pull M&D to Jordan and Lebanon. Just wrote to my friend JF about joining her and her partner in SE Asia for New Year's and need to lock in a ticket soon. And after talking with my colleague Salman the other day, I got really excited about doing a road/hiking trip next spring or summer with Linc around the mountains up north.

For example, to Skardu


and Nanga Parbat.

homegoing

Really good. Full of empathy, unafraid, clear, well-told. Reminded me a lot of Morning and Evening Talk. Will be recommending it to people.

the invention of nature

Did not live up to the hype. It was fine but ultimately not a book that will stick with me the way The Age of Wonder did. Lots of character overlap between the two, which was interesting to note. And Humboldt is clearly a towering figure worthy of being remembered more widely than he is. But that book was deeper and more beautiful, one I will re-read. The Invention of Nature read like an unfunny (in its defense, not trying to be funny) Simon Winchester book. 

thirty

Missing home today more than I have been. Was hoping to speak to the fam but they are not answering their phones, which is bumming me out more than I would have expected and more than it would on a normal night. And, while I had a good time last night and today, celebrating with acquaintances is just not the same thing as celebrating with friends and family.

The festivities last night were fun. First went to HP's house for a barbecue and ate some tasty grilled meat and veggies: he has a tiny little charcoal grill that sits on the ground and somehow he manages to get it really hot and cook the meat just right. Then went to a going-away party for a couple of Scots who have been here for three or four years. It was a big party, and obviously not a birthday party for me. But SRB had bought a delicious cake so once midnight came we broke it out. Come to think of it, I'd like some of that cake right now. Wonder what happened to it. And then lots of people wanted to do shots and so on. And then there was much dancing.

A fairly big group ended the night around 4:30 or 5 AM at the all-night place that TR took me to the first weekend. Tasty, cheap, and, as previously noted, a solid hangover prophylactic. Today I slept in, did a bit of grocery shopping and explored Super Market a bit more extensively. Still only looked around the corner that's closest to me, it's pretty big. Part of my mission was to see if I could find hooks to hang the stuff that came on Friday, and to see if I could find a place that would frame the two things I brought rolled up. Partial success: didn't find either but did find a hardware store that sells nails, which will do in a pinch, and found out that there is an art supply-ish place in G-9. Add it to the list of Things To Do When I Get A Car.

Played ultimate again tonight. Tweaked my right ankle ever so slightly. Not enough to stop playing but enough to remember that it's weaker than the left one and I should just be careful and not stress it more than I have to. Afterward went to dinner at the British Club, where I ate a horrible cheeseburger, much worse than the last time. Good company, and after I mentioned that it was my birthday RL bought me a beer. But god the food was bad. Speaking of which, I'm kind of hungry for something sweet. Going to make a bowl of instant oatmeal, drink a cup of milk, and call it a night.

murree

It's too dusty to see anything, but I bet Murree is beautiful after it rains. Spent the night up there with a small group, played pool, danced, had a fire. It was fun and good to get out of Islamabad, if only briefly.

After driving back down today a few of us went for a hike in Margalla Park, which felt great. After that went and checked out a gym in my neighborhood that I'd been meaning to visit since I got here. Verdict: it's a seven-minute walk from my house and has squat racks (multiple!). Pinch me.

...

Okay it's now 4:30 AM and it's my birthday. Had a really great night, first at a barbecue at HP's place and then semi-commandeering a going-away party for two friends. Much dancing, much booze, some delicious cake. And then all-night paratha and meat and chickpeas with a big group. And now bed. Happy birthday to me.

my stuff is here

Cost about $700 more than I thought it would but fuck it, I'm so happy. Extra-glad I got a furnished place because at the end of the day it isn't that much stuff.

First thought is that I wish I'd brought my copy of Job. Apparently I left it behind.

Now I have to run up the street to rendezvous with a group that's driving up to Murree tonight.

Deep breaths.

pell-mell

Wow, haven't updated in a week. That's largely because I just haven't had that much time to myself, it's just been so busy here, both with work and with trying to develop a social life. But both things are going well, I think. Harder to tell with work, I'm still so new. And not only am I new, but my whole position and whole department are new.

Won't try to recap the whole past week, so here are a few highlights in no particular order.

Last night I went to a concert at a restaurant in F-7, of a cover band whose singer is a friend of a friend. They were not great but it was a fun atmosphere. Mixed expat-Pakistani crowd and I already knew or had at least met about half the people there. There is a guy, Tom, who like me is a fair, light-haired white dude with good bone structure including prominent nose and a beard -- many jokes made about us being confused for each other. Some of the people who were there I will end up being friends with. The people I went with were my neighbors, ZP and SRB. Since I moved in I've been over to their house almost every day, to the point where they've taken to calling me "Couch." I like both of them a lot so it's good to find friends so close to home. And "Couch" is a good-natured nickname, I think they like me, too. But I realized last night that (1) it can be too easy to fall into a convenient routine and miss out on building relationships with other friends, and (2) for the umpteenth time, I need a car.

Spent some time yesterday reading about the etymology of the word "fuck." Apparently its origins are mysterious, but it almost certainly comes from an older word that means..."fuck."

Last weekend was really fun, even with an unfortunately terrible hangover on Sunday. My friend TA was in town from Geneva. She and I go back five years now, since we first met in Afghanistan when she was running our DRR project there. On Friday night we went to a traditional dance performance. I'd been invited by two separate friends and was waffling on going -- TA and I had planned to just get dinner and catch up -- but then I looked it up and it turns out I'd met the dancer in DC! Her husband is a colleague, he runs a small NGO that does mapping for emergency preparedness and response. So we went, and I'm glad for it. She was wonderful, but the real highlight was the tabla-violin duet that came in between her numbers. They were, to put it mildly, fabulous. And they played Raga Malkauns! The Don Cherry version of which is one of my favorite pieces of music! I was in my happy place. Pakistani audiences, however, are rude as hell. Lots of mid-performance texting, flash photography, babies crying. And the professional or semi-pro cameramen are, as I'd noticed elsewhere but not really registered, pretty unsure how to do their jobs. One of them, at one point, when the house lights were down, turned his camera around on the audience and put the light on. That is, he shined his light right in the audience's face. What the fuck shot are you trying to get there, cousin?

Anyway, that was wonderful. Then we went over the neighbors' and hung out for a while, which was also lovely. TA hit it off famously with ZP, we played some fun music, lots of laughter. And the US Deputy Chief of Mission was there, JP. Very nice guy, knows Liz's brother of course. Lives in the neighborhood, unlike seemingly 95% of the Americans here, and he invited me to Thanksgiving at his place. Unforunately, I'll be in Gilgit with some Canadians on Thanksgiving, but nice to know I'd have a place to celebrate if that trip gets cancelled or postponed.

Saturday afternoon TR had a barbecue at his place, where I hung out for a few hours. Funny mixed crowd. He's 26 so the bottom of his friend-group age range is lower than mine. Then a few of us went over to the Spanish deputy ambassador's house, where there was lots of good Spanish wine and I got to speak in Spanish for two hours. Also, to impress an Austrian diplomat and her husband by correctly volunteering that he was Tibetan after we were introduced. Apparently I am the first person they've ever met who got his nationality right.

Sunday morning, I paid for the fun. I was drunk on Saturday but not hammered, had eaten plenty and drunk water. Nevertheless, hangover city. Forget if I've mentioned this on here before but a couple years ago I got frustrated with the complete unpredictability of my hangovers. Sometimes I can get very drunk and be fresh as a daisy the next day. Sometimes I can have 3-4 drinks and be destroyed the next day. And vice versa. So I kept a very detailed journal for weeks, of what I'd had to drink what I'd eaten, how much water I'd drunk, how much sleep I'd gotten. No pattern detected.

By Sunday afternoon I felt better so I met up and got that one-on-one catch-up time, first at my place, then the funny, weird bar at the Marriott (she wanted a beer), then at the Serena. It was nice in part to just be around another American after last week.

This week has been calmer than last at work because AI is in Geneva for the annual CEO meetings. I've started to work on the unit gender strategy, which is encouraging. Yesterday I went out to lunch with the three other directors, to an Afghan grill in F-7 that was absolutely delicious. Today things are obviously still a bit calm; otherwise I wouldn't be able to write this post. But on that note, I think I should conclude.

With a limerick that I composed in the bathroom just now.

"Limerick for the little vampires"
My mosquitoes, they constantly breed.
And to feed them, I must bleed and bleed.
I kill lots in the shower
But they keep all the power
'Cause they fuck just like rabbits on speed.

bubbles within bubbles

We still don’t know who will win the electoral college, although as I write this it looks — incredibly, horribly — as if the odds now favor Donald J. Trump. What we do know is that people like me, and probably like most readers of The New York Times, truly didn’t understand the country we live in. We thought that our fellow citizens would not, in the end, vote for a candidate so manifestly unqualified for high office, so temperamentally unsound, so scary yet ludicrous.We thought that the nation, while far from having transcended racial prejudice and misogyny, had become vastly more open and tolerant over time.

We thought that the great majority of Americans valued democratic norms and the rule of law.

It turns out that we were wrong.

There turn out to be a huge number of people — white people, living mainly in rural areas — who don’t share at all our idea of what America is about. For them, it is about blood and soil, about traditional patriarchy and racial hierarchy. And there were many other people who might not share those anti-democratic values, but who nonetheless were willing to vote for anyone bearing the Republican label.I don’t know how we go forward from here. Is America a failed state and society? It looks truly possible. I guess we have to pick ourselves up and try to find a way forward, but this has been a night of terrible revelations, and I don’t think it’s self-indulgent to feel quite a lot of despair.

So wrote Paul Krugman earlier tonight.

And here is Kiese Laymon, a week ago:

I wonder if people who don't live in these Trump states know how hard these folks go for this man. I've been down here in Oxford Mississippi all year but this weekend I felt something different in a lot of these white folks. They're bouncing, sanctified almost, wearing all their Trump shit, eager as fuck to vote, eager as fuck to win, maniacally eager to see us lose. It's not just poor white folk. Down here, it's white folk of varied incomes, educations, all that. Many of them want something back that they've never really lost.

I've never seen anything like it other than how some of us acted in 2008. But that was different. There's a zeal in these folks to punish black folk, "nasty" women, trans folk, queer folk, Muslims, Mexicans. Even though Obama loved them to death (and our destruction), they are full of an energy I've never ever seen or felt before. These folks don't have the numbers to win nationally but the numbers they have are so hype, and our folks are so not hype to vote this time around.

I am a dumb man, but I think Trump is going to win this shit. And that is worse, in the long run, for us than Trump losing. But this energy they have is going to explode if he loses. Win or lose, these folks are going to be cutting up late November 8th. Cutting. The. Fuck. Up. Violently.

And water is wet.

We live in a nation with a huge appetite for our suffering. The nation's functionality insists on our suffering. But this ... this ain't the same shit, y'all. It's really not. If you're in the middle of one of these places, you know what I'm talking about. I know you know. Let's please take care of us. Let's hold on to each other down here, and over there, and wherever we find ourselves November 8th, no matter what, because something more acutely painful than we're accustomed to isn't simply coming; it is here. I swear it's here.

wifi

Turns out having wifi is pretty important. I didn't have it in the new place for the first couple of days because my landlord doesn't know how it works and his 17-year-old son was out of town. Son came back today and all is well.

I'm slowly settling in. The house feels bereft of stuff, still, because it is. My boxes are still in Lahore (come on Wednesday, come on Wednesday, come on Wednesday) and I haven't been able to do a big shop. Went to the chemist (pharmacy) and grocery store in Super Market to pick up some essentials -- shampoo, hand soap, coffee, something to eat for breakfast, etc. -- and, funnily enough, ran into TR at the chemist. I was trying to explain to the guy behind the counter that I was looking for dish soap, and doing that excruciating we-don't-speak-the-same-language thing of pantomiming washing dishes while I spoke. Heard a voice say, "Hey," turned to my right, and there was TR. He's half-Pakistani so he was just standing there smiling as I struggled. Then he interpreted, confirmed that I had to go to the grocery store next door, and offered to come with me and then drive me home. It's a five-minute walk but I wasn't about to turn down a ride or company.

Have I mentioned that people here are friendly as hell? He came grocery shopping with me, and then when they didn't have anything to make coffee with at the store, drove me to another market about a kilometer away and helped me there.

So anyway I can't get some of the stuff I want without a car and I am not going to press anyone for favors, least of all people who are already being generous. So vegetables (best place is in the next sector over), meat (best place is in that other market in my sector, Kohsar), a proper trash can for the kitchen, a coat rack, a rotisserie oven, all that's going to have to wait.

The rest of the weekend was good, continued making friends and wishing the election would just be over already. I am American, there aren't many Americans around, everyone wants to talk Trump. Interestingly, one of the people I hung out with on Saturday night -- the one with the servant from a few posts back -- is pulling for Trump. Her reasoning: American interventionism in Pakistan (and other countries) has caused a huge amount of harm, and there's every reason to believe HRC will continue that legacy at best, and deepen it at worst. Trump is a wildcard and will be too preoccupied with stuff at home to bother with Pakistan. This is a deeply flawed theory, not least because Trump being preoccupied or, well, Trump, could very well mean that the people he enables just go off and do whatever the fuck they want. And he's not going to hire isolationist doves. Also our foreign policy isn't uniformly bad, so there's that. Tried to convince her, but in the end she stuck to her guns: The chance that Trump could be better for the rest of the world is worth a bet against the certainty that Clinton will be more of the same. Very interesting conversation. Thank god she's not a US citizen and can't vote.

Today I got to accompany a few diplomats to upper Chitral, about 15km from the Afghan border. My new team member LNT also came. I continue to be a fan of hers. Trip was good if ludicrously quick: we had little more than 3.5 hours on the ground. Thanks UK diplomat security. Managed to pack quite a lot into that time, including scrambling up a rockfall channel to inspect check dams that the community had built with our help over the past two years. The check dams are there to slow and redirect flash floods and landslides. Talked with a gathering of the villagers. Visited the oldest house in the village, which is more than 100 years old and has survived several major earthquakes. The people in the village we went to use very sound traditional construction techniques, unlike their neighbors in nearby valleys. Curious why that is. One of the Brits and I talked in the morning before we boarded the helicopter about positive deviance and how to explain and take advantage of it, and then by golly there was a perfect example right in our faces.

An interesting side note: The village is Kalash, which are a very small group living predominantly in a few valleys up there. They are animist (!) and speak their own language and exist mostly in harmony with their Muslim neighbors. We saw the outside of the village's temple, which had carved sheep heads by each door and some drawings on the outside depicting, among other things, a man milking a goat.

Now I'm back at home, have wifi, and have eaten a satisfyingly greasy dinner from one of the places in Super Market, just the first one I saw. Three parata rolls: one beef, one chicken, one veggie. Just what the doctor ordered. Oh and with milk that doesn't even taste weird. Can't express how much of a relief it is to have found drinkable milk. 

i can haz house keys?

Just got back from signing the lease for my new place. Picked up the keys and the wi-fi password, did an inventory walk through with the real estate agent. The power goes out every day between 6 and 7 PM so no pics yet. But tomorrow afternoon I'll drag my suitcases over there and start to settle in. I may replace some of the furniture, but one thing at a time. First I have to wait for my dang stuff to arrive from Lahore. Adeel the operations guy said he thought it'd be here on Wednesday or Thursday.

Gotta run now, meeting a guy from the British Council for dinner. 

high security

Got my first real taste a few minutes ago of the downside of living in a place where security, especially for diplomats, is over the top. There's an ultimate game at the British Club on Wednesday nights that I got invited to join. Great: the entrance to the diplomatic enclave nearest the Serena is less than a ten-minute walk away. Some guy has volunteered to sign people in who don't already have access cards. I've been in and out of the enclave a few times so far so I think I know the drill. But. I have forgotten a step. Signing people in happens at the individual embassy, in this case the British High Commission. You're on your own to get into the enclave in general. Until a few months ago, you could do that by just flashing a foreign passport at the guards. But recently they've tightened up and you need either (A) to be entering in a car with diplomatic plates; (B) to be entering accompanied by a person with a membership card that allows them to bring guests inside; or (C) to have a membership card yourself. Membership, in this case, means with one of the embassy clubs: French, British, Australian, American, Canadian, probably others.

After waiting for five minutes or so by the main gate, I called the guy who'd invited me, and after talking with him for two seconds realized my error: I was stuck at the outer gate, and passage through the outer gate is assumed. He was apologetic but not about to come fetch me himself: The game was about to start.

So, deflating and frustrating. I'm fucking American! Can't get to my own embassy without a stupid card that I have to pay for! Needless to say, getting one of those damn cards is high on the list of things to take care of posthaste. Might even just join the British Club tomorrow to get it out of the way: I'm meeting one of my new friends there for dinner (he'll come fetch me) and they have tennis courts.

Bah.

Otherwise the day was good. Found a place to live, in fact the one place I liked the first day. Liked it even more on the second visit, after seeing a bunch of other places, including a couple today that were pretty nice. It's cozy and private, in a great location, has a good-sized backyard, gas stove (but no oven), overhung with trees and covered in ivy. The main house, which faces the street, is disconnected entirely. The owner works for some oil and gas company and lives there with his family. Very pleased, although I think I will be replacing some of the furniture. Now the broker is negotiating with the owner over rent, and once that's done I'll sign the lease, pay three months' rent, and move in. Hopefully the timing of that will dovetail with my stuff arriving from Lahore. Next step: buying a pots, pans, sheets, and a car.

Also, I got my clearance to travel to KPK, which means that I can fly (helicopter wheeeeeee) up to Chitral on Monday with some senior people from WFP and DFID. It's a quick trip, up and back on the same day, but a great opportunity to see some work and spend time with one of our major and hopefully growing donors. 

rush hour

There is a simple pleasure, when alone in a hotel, in finding that a funny, stupid movie just started playing on TV. For example, "Rush Hour."

Worked 11 hours today.

Had my welcome lunch at Tuscan Courtyard, at the Kohsan Market in F-6. Red snapper, mixed vegetables, and a lot of political talk with some of the senior members of staff. Many obvious comparisons between Trump and Imran Khan, although it's not 1:1. Imran isn't as sexist, for instance. But the appeal is similar: a volatile, charismatic, arrogant outsider pokes the establishment in the eye.

Now bed.

stuck in customs

My two big boxes of stuff have been stuck in customs in Lahore for more than a week, and just today I found out why: There's an import restriction on items with a value over PKR 20,000, and because the dollar is so strong right now, the $200 valuation FedEx told me to put on the packages is worth PKR 21,000. So I had to print out and sign a form authorizing FedEx to pay all the relevant duties and fees, for which of course they'll turn around and charge me. Slightly irritating, but also relieving. Also another item on the list of "things about which the HR/admin department has been helpful but not particularly organized."

In the objectives I drafted last night, one is about improving the P&P team's systems. That is a big enough chunk to bite off for the next nine months. But it was a little hard not to expand it to include other systems, given how (seemingly) easy it would be to improve new-staff processes. For example, the creation of a standard checklist would help. And while I have a phone extension list, it would be really helpful to have an organizational chart showing who does what, with whom.

Anyway I'll cross that bridge if and when I end up hiring someone.