: First week on the job :
It's Friday at the end of my first half-week in my new office, and a lot has happened. It's certainly a mixed blessing working again. On the one hand, it's good that I don't have my unemployment hanging over my head, and that I'm getting back into the rhythm of a "normal" life, instead of remaining a lady of leisure. On the other hand, it's kind of tough waking up at 6 a.m. each morning to get ready and catch the train to New York at 7:30 a.m. If I were to miss that train, the next one doesn't appear for about 20 minutes, and then I would be really late to work.
So Wednesday was my first day at work, and there were no problems getting in, although the rain made it a bit soggy. There was even a drip in the roof of the train, but luckily not where I was sitting. It's an hour's ride into the city, and when I get on the train is completely empty but by the time I reach Seacaucus there are usually people standing in the aisle for lack of seats. After pulling into Penn Station I take the "E" subway line for about five stops to Lexington Avenue - that puts me less than a block away from the office. Unfortunately, the subway is always crowded, like sardines in a can. Good thing that it's a short ride because otherwise I'd probably scream.
So once I arrived at the office on Wednesday, we had an orientation presentation that lasted all morning. We went down to have our pictures taken for our building IDs, and got another ID card to get into the office. So now I have to carry around three transponder tags - one for the building, the office and my parking garage at my apartment. I wish they could make these things smaller.
Thursday I took care of my passport request at the post office next to my office - I should get my new passport in a couple weeks, and it should have my correct name and gender on it. When the mail clerk compared my new passport photo with the one of me taken ten years ago, all she could say was "big difference!" to which I replied, "that’s why I need a new passport."
Another thing that happened yesterday was that I met a girl named Michele (there are three Micheles in this office, and I'm the fourth, but my name is the only one spelled with two L's) who captains the company softball team. She recruited me to play on Wednesday nights - they play teams from other companies in parks all around Manhattan. I used to be a pretty good softball player in my previous life, but I don't know how good I'll be in this body. Still, at least it's a good way to meet some people outside the office and get some exercise. Should make for some interesting blog entries in the future.
On the train ride home I met a young redhead named Marjorie who rides the train from Secaucus to Bloomfield, where she lives with her family. She just graduated from college with a degree in photography and she's working as a stock photographer for a graphic design company in Seacaucus. We chatted for a bit, and she gave me her card in case I ever wanted to hang out. So it was nice that I met a new friend after only two days riding the train.
Today it's a beautiful day in New York, sunny and breezy, and I enjoyed a short walk around the block at lunchtime. I had a slice of pizza at RayBari's Pizza, which is a family-owned chain spun off the famous Ray's Pizza. Pizza aficionados know what I'm talking about. I also moved from my temporary cubicle into a private office, which is a nice perk even though there's no window. Thank goodness too, because the woman in the next cube was starting to drive me crazy. She is constantly on the phone with personal calls, and she talks about all sorts of unpleasantness using profanity and harsh language. While it may not be directed at me, it's very distracting in the workplace, and I'm glad to be away from it.
So Wednesday was my first day at work, and there were no problems getting in, although the rain made it a bit soggy. There was even a drip in the roof of the train, but luckily not where I was sitting. It's an hour's ride into the city, and when I get on the train is completely empty but by the time I reach Seacaucus there are usually people standing in the aisle for lack of seats. After pulling into Penn Station I take the "E" subway line for about five stops to Lexington Avenue - that puts me less than a block away from the office. Unfortunately, the subway is always crowded, like sardines in a can. Good thing that it's a short ride because otherwise I'd probably scream.
So once I arrived at the office on Wednesday, we had an orientation presentation that lasted all morning. We went down to have our pictures taken for our building IDs, and got another ID card to get into the office. So now I have to carry around three transponder tags - one for the building, the office and my parking garage at my apartment. I wish they could make these things smaller.
Thursday I took care of my passport request at the post office next to my office - I should get my new passport in a couple weeks, and it should have my correct name and gender on it. When the mail clerk compared my new passport photo with the one of me taken ten years ago, all she could say was "big difference!" to which I replied, "that’s why I need a new passport."
Another thing that happened yesterday was that I met a girl named Michele (there are three Micheles in this office, and I'm the fourth, but my name is the only one spelled with two L's) who captains the company softball team. She recruited me to play on Wednesday nights - they play teams from other companies in parks all around Manhattan. I used to be a pretty good softball player in my previous life, but I don't know how good I'll be in this body. Still, at least it's a good way to meet some people outside the office and get some exercise. Should make for some interesting blog entries in the future.
On the train ride home I met a young redhead named Marjorie who rides the train from Secaucus to Bloomfield, where she lives with her family. She just graduated from college with a degree in photography and she's working as a stock photographer for a graphic design company in Seacaucus. We chatted for a bit, and she gave me her card in case I ever wanted to hang out. So it was nice that I met a new friend after only two days riding the train.
Today it's a beautiful day in New York, sunny and breezy, and I enjoyed a short walk around the block at lunchtime. I had a slice of pizza at RayBari's Pizza, which is a family-owned chain spun off the famous Ray's Pizza. Pizza aficionados know what I'm talking about. I also moved from my temporary cubicle into a private office, which is a nice perk even though there's no window. Thank goodness too, because the woman in the next cube was starting to drive me crazy. She is constantly on the phone with personal calls, and she talks about all sorts of unpleasantness using profanity and harsh language. While it may not be directed at me, it's very distracting in the workplace, and I'm glad to be away from it.
