sure, I'll make sandwiches for the state of california

Next quarter I will be teaching a class at a school where I have never taught before. Today I drove over there to take care of HR and payroll paper work.

And boy did they have forms for me. There was a giant pile in each office.

My favorite form was one having to do with disaster preparedness. I was asked in what areas I have training or experience, the idea being to make employees useful should disaster strike.

I checked the boxes for nursing, mass food preparation, and photography. I also checked the box for driver. When they asked about my vehicle, I said that occasionally I will be driving Dan's truck to campus, so that, yes, I might be able to transport people or supplies.

I am not joking. I liked that form. I liked being reminded of how I could help in a crisis, and I liked being reminded of what I can be relied upon to do reasonably well.

I like being reminded that we are vulnerable. Because we are.