I've been so busy at my new job (helping make digital maps for an Internet giant) that I haven't written anything in a very long time- the last thing I want to do after a day of computer labor is more computer labor.

Work: I (along with eleven coworkers) was appointed a team lead, responsible for the welfare and productivity of 5 to 10 digital mappers. Sadly, most of my team members have been fired for incompetence, sloth and/or attendance issues. I feel I failed them somehow- maybe if I'd tried harder they would have succeeded. This is very depressing, and I believe I will be fired for failing to lead successfully.

Leisure: I am growing potatoes and sweet potatoes, eggplant and yellow-fleshed icebox watermelon in my little garden. Yesterday my dog crapped on the eggplant. I don't think she meant any harm, and I doubt she was trying to tell me anything- she probably did it because she is a dog.

Love life: Well, I love life...

I wear a real shirt very day! Buttons, pocket, collar, all that. I'm surprised at myself, since I used to hate shirts and it is perfectly acceptable to wear t-shirts at my work, which almost everyone else does. I started wearing shirts as soon as I became a team lead- though I don't recall giving it any thought, maybe I hoped this would inspire professionalism in my team. That evidently didn't happen, but at least I can serve as way-point for giving directions: See that guy in the collared shirt? Go past him and then turn right. And another nice thing about a real shirt is that I can put my notebook in the pocket.

Gosh, I am really feeling low about all the people who have lost their jobs while following my orders. What am I doing wrong, or not doing at all? I wish I could conduct exit interviews to see what's going on, but because of the temp agency's policies I almost never know someone's going to be fired until (at the earliest) the moment it happens, and usually not until after the fact. This Saturday, I met a team member in town and he told me he had been let go after our shift on Friday. I expect I'll be officially informed of this fact Monday. Other teams do more work and lose fewer people, so maybe I can learn from them. I think I need to set some goals for myself and for the people in my team. There must be some way to get the quantity and quality of work we need.