Every time I think that I'm fairly caught up in my old job, I remember something major I meant to do, like, you know, start a blog for them. Oops. Good thing I still have a week to complete these things, since I strongly suspect the list of "things to do before I go" will grow exponentially as everyone tries to get the last bit of work out of me before I go. The joys of being the only person here who knows what I do and how the hell to get things done :).

It's been strange working with my temp, and I wonder if I came across as so irresponsible and oblivious to details when I was a student worker. I do think those tendencies were strong in me, and have been mostly bred out of me over the past year and a half, but I also don't think I was quite as bad. For the most part, I showed up where and when I said I would, completed what was assigned without needing too much direction, and showed initiative in creating useful projects. Sometimes I wonder how she manages to be a grad student at a top university despite not necessarily fulfilling the above description, but then I realize why. I've held her hand, checked her work, and was far too lenient on schedule changes and completing half of her assigned hours. I handicapped her.

When I told her I had given my notice I could see the shock on her face. She realized that she's going to have to focus, show up on time, and actually do a decent job without anyone to back her up. In some ways, I rejoiced since she'll learn more that way than 6 months with me could manage. In others, I regretted that I'd failed to be a supervisor who nurtured without wholly supporting the person. That's a lesson that I'll take on to my next job, and hopefully when I reach a supervisory position again, I will have the opportunity to try again with better results.