You know what I love about the people I work with?

The fact that they’re engineers.

Now, I gripe about engineers a lot (A LOT), but in reality, they’re so incredibly predictable and good-hearted that I don’t know that I could work in any other industry.  And you can hate me, but it’s true: it’s like working with four-year old children. 

They FREAK OUT if our supplier sends the wrong kind of pens.  And if the printer jams, some of them run in circles crying while others will pull out a McGuyver-type kit of chewing gum and paper-clips and will begin surgery. (The difference is the computer engineer versus the electrical engineer.) And they never, EVER wear clothes that match.

But that’s kinda what endears them to me.

What brought all of this up was the supposed “birthday” yesterday.  Although it turned out to not be anyone’s birthday, there were treats in the office.  And they all turned five.  They laughed, they smiled, they talked.. it honestly reminds me of the church choir I used to teach on the day that we would do holiday parties. 

When I was younger, I seriously wanted to work with young children.  I considered teaching, and then I worked at EarlyWorks for a spell.  But I think I got the best of both worlds: the hearts and souls of children lurk around here, and they’re all potty-trained.

(For the most part.)

OOOH!  Ooooh!  I found it!  Something of substance to talk about!

I actually saw this story on CNN in passing the other day, and my ears perked up.  And while I’m always in-transit when I hear the tv blaring, this story stuck with me for awhile because I couldn’t figure out how I felt about it.

Austin, TX is now requiring all school-age girls to be vaccinated with the HPV Vaccine before entering the 6th grade.

Yes, requiring.

At first, I thought, AWESOME.  This will prevent many, many girls from becoming women at the risk of cervical cancer.  And as my paternal grandmother passed away from the disease, I think that’s a great idea. 

But then I thought.. is the governor allowed to do that?  Can he demand that I take this vaccine?  Isn’t that stepping into my personal choices?

Well, countered my devil’s advocate, it’s no different than a measles vaccine, and you don’t hear anyone complaining about that.

Sort of, said the other half.  But this is expressly marketed to prevent HPV through sexual contact. (As in, I am not a candidate for this vaccine.) And without proper education, which we’re not prone to do, kids might (incorrectly) believe that this protects them from other STDs, perhaps even pregnancy.

So I don’t have an answer.

Part of me wants to leave that decision to the parents; it will give them a marvelous opportunity to open a dialogue with their daughters about sexuality and the precautions needed to safely engage in intimacy.  At the same time, this requires an honesty that most teenage girls may not posess. (Hell, I see women every day not be able to admit to themselves what their sex life is.) And while it should be up to the parents, I say that HOPING that every parent would WANT this safety measure for their child.  If a parent doesn’t.. should the child necessarily be put at risk?  Because the parent finds it immoral, should we subject the child to a chance of cervical cancer?

I don’t know.  Like I said, I couldn’t come to a conclusion.  Thoughts?

At work, in life, there are people you encounter who are hard to deal with.  This is an inevitability.  The challenge comes in finding ways to connect with them on any level: personal, professional, even comical. 

I have one such individual.  I deal with him through tough love, although everyone often gasps when I do.  I am hard on him, in my own way.  And every now and again, he smiles.

But for the most part, he is made of stone.  It’s hard to find the person in there.  I’ve tried to imagine him at home, with his children, and wonder if he softens for them.  If he giggles while his grandchildren use his massive frame as a jungle-gym.  If he tears up at every cartoon that hints at growing up, like I do.

Nothing drives home humanity and the frail nature of it so much as sitting next to someone when they receive news of death.  To watch the color drain from their face, and their eyes tighten, and see them tense up around the notion of never seeing the face of a loved one again.. that is something that makes you empathize with even the most intolerable human being.

All I could do was put my hand on his.  He was trembling.

It’s been a long day.