First Two Weeks at the Office

I had the pleasure of meeting Drs. Betty and Joel Siegel on Tuesday, January the 12th. The interview felt more like a family get-together than a business proposition. We asked questions of each other and responded in such a way that we agreed to work together. I welcomed this positive experience especially because of that day's context for me. I had spent that Tuesday morning at the Cobb County Superior Court for divorce proceedings to my marriage of twenty-two years.

The Siegels and I agreed that I'd start this week (January 18th), Monday through Thursday, 10:00 to 1:00. With Martin Luther King Monday, I started this past Tuesday the 19th. Dr. Betty Siegel gave me broad direction and rough dictation on a dozen one-page letters of various kinds: thank-you, condolence, congratulations, and regret. As of Thursday when I left, the drafts sat on the receptionist's desk for Betty's review and revision.

I sit in a separate office with a desk, a computer, a printer, and a bookshelf. I report to the office manager, Patricia Rounds, a professional and friendly lady. I also work with a student undergraduate worker, Katy, also friendly and supportive. I enjoy my rapport with both Joel and Betty Siegel; I look forward to more writing.

At the interview, Betty Siegel lent me a book in the how-to genre to peruse. We will both use it as a guide to Betty's own how-to for first-year students to attain leadership. In the interview, both Joel and Betty stated I'd be writing letters primarily, for her extensive networking, and, secondarily, essays and a book.