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Usually, when I write about work it's because I've got some sort of complaint that I need to vent. Not this time. The past two days have been the best of my entire seven years with Colonial Williamsburg. I've been so dissatisfied with my job for so long, I didn't think it was possible to enjoy anything about work this much.

It's all because I've been giving tours of the Capitol rather than standing at the site entrances, bored out of my mind, checking tickets and telling uncomprehending summer tourists to spit out their gum and turn off their cell phones. I've always said in the past that I wouldn't want to work full-time in the buildings because I'd rather work at a variety of sites than stay in one place all the time; but now I realize I've been unhappy because, no matter how many places I work at, I'm always doing the same menial, mundane job at each of them. There's actually a lot more variety and interest in giving five or six tours through a site as rich in history as the Capitol (true, it's a reconstruction, but that's a minor technical detail). Every group is different, so you have to tailor your interpretation to different audiences and interests; and there's so much to talk about, no tour's ever going to be exactly like any other. The only downside of that is you always have to leave something out; otherwise, it would turn into an hour tour and the guides behind would get really pissed off.

It's funny, up until now I've always said I didn't have that deep an interest in 18th-century history-- working here was a matter of convenience, because I have to stay close by to help my mother, and CW is the largest employer in the area with the best health benefits. My true interests, I told myself, were music and film and literature, and this job was just a temporary waystation, something I'd move beyond in time. I still feel that way about my current job; but giving these tours has made me realize how much I really do love talking about 18th-century law and government, and how much more I want to learn about those subjects. When I was on the upstairs security station this afternoon, directing traffic through the hallway into the Joint Conference Room that bridges the two sides of the building, I listened to part of my colleague Mark Couvillion's tour, and it was one of the best learning experiences I've ever had. I immediately found ways to improve my own tour by incorporating things he'd discussed, and also by restructuring it to make it flow more smoothly. In about ten minutes, I felt I'd learned more of genuine value than in the nearly three years I've worked as an interpreter in the Historic Area.

Now, I want to do more research of my own, and improve my tour as much as I can before the next time I work there. And if they hire again for the Capitol area (it also includes the Gaol-- my other favorite spot-- and the Courthouse), I'm going to apply to work there full time. I've finally found where I belong here, and I hate the thought of going back and doing my "regular" job tomorrow.