. . . Beginnings
First day on the new job today! Everything went splendidly! We don't have my email up yet but, it is being worked on and in the interim, I have my Yahoo Companion set up so I can receive "personal" email from all of you, my gentle readers, at what would ordinarily be my home account. Eventually, I will become too busy to be able to answer your email (hopefully!!!) but, at least you'll know how to reach me.
The ID badge is being made up tomorrow (but the temporary one will get me in the building tomorrow morning at 0-Dark:30), the company cell phone is being charged and the pager is apparently lying in wait for me to be assigned it. The company credit card information has been input and the Think Pad has been ported for the time being-- nice little set-up, eh? Well, it would be if I were one to take advantage of those sorts of things . . . I'm not so, I expect it'll be loads of work for me, once I've been broken in on the job.
I'm looking forward to being busy with as many as 15 contracts a day on my desk! Its been a long time since that has been the case!!
Bad Luck!
It never seems to fail: I buy a software program that I don't need (I just want it cuz I can!) and, of course, it doesn't work on my computer-- Brian's hoping to get the new clipart package (of course there are no .gifs!!) up and operating in the next day or two but, it is a low priority. Oh, well, it was only $12.99 so no great loss if it doesn't work. The problem is that I have Windows 98 and while it says it works with Windows 98 (it does), it doesn't say that it doesn't know how to re-save the graphics in .jpg format. The format that the graphics comes in doesn't get read in Netscape or Internet Explore so it isn't very useful to me-- what else is new? I just wanted some kind of graphics software that would spice up my pages a little bit . . . maybe it'll be adaptable. I'll keep you posted.
Endings and . . .
Okay, where were we when we were so rudely interrupted??? Oh, yeah, I was half-falling asleep. Argh, has any time passed at all? Would you believe I woke up at 2:47AM this morning and could not get back to sleep??? At first, I played a couple of games of computer cards with the sound turned off so I wouldn't wake up Brian and, after a half-hour of that, I tried to go back to sleep-- Brian was leaving me about a 1/4 of the bed and, after arguing (non-verbally) about the blankets for fifteen minutes, I got up and quietly pulled the flashlight out of the closet and hunted down my clothes ala "Blair Witch Project".
Of course, the minute I turned on the shower, Brian's eyes popped open but, that's another story (his first post on his sight this morning was at 5:49am). I got dressed and when I came out of the bathroom, he startled me by talking _sensibly_!! Whoever heard of such a thing?? I didn't even know he was awake!!
I've always known this about myself: I have a conscience. I can't "accidentally" take the wrong change from a grocery clerk because I'm pretty good at figuring out how much I'm owed from a $20 for $1.34 ($18.66) and if I'm given $19.66, I won't sleep until I've brought the dollar bill back to the store. I've always been like this!!
This morning, it was "I need to get this document to Randy" and "I've got to talk with Ed about that 'cowboy sales rep'" . . . making lists in my head of things to do to tie up all the loose ends at the job I was leaving. I value my reputation in this world above all else and if I thought I'd only done something half-way, I wouldn't be able to live with myself until I finished it so . . . I left for the office at 4:05am. At 4:08, I was trying to find someone to pay for the Cream Cheese Coffee Cake I was going to bring to the office for my last day; at 4:12, I was still looking for someone to pay for this Coffee Cake; at 4:14, as I was about to throw a $5 bill on the counter and walk out with the Coffee Cake, a clerk saw me and came running in the store from her cigarette break. I was in the car and on the road by 4:22-- I know, I know! It would've been quicker just to throw the $5 on the counter but, I had to make sure I didn't owe $5.01!!
At 4:28am, I walked into my office and straight to one of the several coffee machines. I started a pot of coffee and walked back to the cubical now formerly called "My Office". At 4:29am, I was back in my car, driving home: I'd forgotten my glasses and, unfortunately, I'm blind as a bat without them!! At 5:10am, I'm back at the office and the pot of coffee that I've made for some reason was weak (I could see through it!!). I go to another coffee machine and make another pot of coffee and go back to my cubical to wait for it to finish brewing. In the interim, I figure I might as well call the attorney on the East Coast "Hi, Randy, this is Marcia" . . . dead silence . . . "Randy?" "Marcia?? What are you doing in the office at-- what time is it there??" "Yes, Randy, I know-- its 5:30 and I'm whacked but I have stuff to do before I can leave here."
When I left my employer's office this afternoon, I felt gladdened in that every one of the bases that were on that particular playing field, were covered-- all of the approximately 85 bases-- I mean, emails that I'd sent to the people who were going to be covering the contracts department after I left had been sent. Not a stone was unturned or a contract left bare-- all items were tucked in their appropriate folder or email or Acrobat file. I think they were shocked-- they shouldn't have been.
Tonight, I can sleep . . . knowing that my parents raised me
right
and I've proven it again.
All Content Copyright © 2000 Marcia
L. Dykstra. All Rights Reserved.