Day Twelve

Wow. I haven't blogged here in a while! Here's what has happened in the last two...almost three weeks.

I got to work and found myself in the most corporate environment I've ever been in. The arrangement was that I was here for two weeks with the possibility of continuing after that if we (me and UPC) were both in agreement.

After the first week, I was reasonably satisfied. It's nothing offensive (like working in the British American Tobacco Company, located in our office complex, would be.) It's just a bunch of corporate mish-mosh and IT talk that I don't really understand, and that I don't care to understand. During that week, I got my orders to attend my first Dutch class the following Monday.

The second week went well too. There's not much to report. I ride a large bus for about forty minutes every morning. I kept copious notes about my observations in a regular journal - and I started a blog about the job. At the end of the second week I was offered the job for keeps. I took the weekend to think about it and I accepted it yesterday. It's stable and a good environment. They appreciate me and I have lots of time to fiddle if I want, but I keep busy most of the time.

This is one of those places where they have lots of Dilbert cartoons on the walls and people work in groups of desks. It's like we've moved beyond the age of cubicals into the age of desk clusters. Like when I was in elementary school and we had open concept with no walls between the classrooms. (Hey, it was the Seventies.) So the whole personal space thing is sort of contingent up on one's ability to maintain a little bubble around him or herself. You have to pretend to not her conversations and remember not to do all those things you might do if you were in a room by yourself - like nap.

This week has been good. When I told Donna that I would be staying on permanently, she gave a little cheer. I like working for her. She's sort of timid looking, but I wouldn't cross her. Last week I saw her talking to a group of men. They were all talking about why something didn't happen when it should have.

Finally, she said, "I am not interested in hearing why this isn't happening. I just need someone to own it and to resolve it." Shut those guys up but quick.

I stood to the side and thought, I think I'm in love. I really like working for women.