New kid on the block

I managed not to get lost on the way to work. I knew I could take back streets to avoid the traffic. I just didn't take the time to work out which streets to take, so I did what any sensible person would do...followed another car. It eventually pulled into a driveway and stopped. I found the rest of the way by myself.

Turning up with a water bottle and lunch box kinda makes you feel like it's your first day in school. My boss is kinda cool in a sort of aloof way. He did the typical guy thing and only introduced me to the guys in my department (yeah, I'm the only girl again!). They are sooooo geeky! The intelligence level is something I'll have to prove I can match (to myself, more than to them). Nice people though. I sit in an area with three of them....with my back to them and everyone else. I'm seriously going to have to feng shui my area, coz I cannot be comfortable like that. Interestingly, they all agreed with me.

It took a while to set up my computer, but I was processing orders and doing stuff I have no idea about all before lunch time - using programs I've never seen before in my life. Thrown in the deep end? Yup! I impressed the lotus notes specialists by causing it to produce an error message they'd never seen before. Not sure what they did, but they fixed it.

I already have access to secure areas of the building and everyone's login and passwords. It's only nerves, I know, but I don't feel capable to do everything they're planning on having me do.

There are two women who stood out. One is training me for all of two days before she goes on leave. She's the type of person who starts explaining something, assumes you understand half, so doesn't explain it all, and fumbles through the rest and changes her mind mid-sentence. I figured out most of what she was saying by reading emails and entering orders. More of the same tomorrow should be fun. I stood at her desk for 15 minutes while she tried to fix a complicated excel document. She seems to get flustered and second guesses herself and forgets where she's at. I got frustrated - it's a document she has to hand over to me tomorrow - and went back to my desk to do work I sorta understood. She's the stereotypical largely overweight accounts/travel lady, who wears bright clothes (and, to my horror, was walking around barefoot for a while! ack!) and talks so loud you can hear her on the phone down the hall.

Oh, speaking of which, we have VOIP, so the office is so quiet! I had to record my greeting on the phone. Currently, it goes something like this: "Hi, you've called E's phone. ....Um.... what am I supposed to say here? Is there some standard blah....? Sorry, what do I press to stop it?" I have to remember to fix that tomorrow morning! I really like the fact that my computer will tell me who's calling and I can tell the computer to make them go away. Right now, nobody even knows I have a phone, so that's even better. Won't last long, I'm sure.

The second woman who has me intrigued is the receptionist. She's an older lady and her name is Gwenyth, or Gladys. Maybe Glenys? I think that's it. Anyway, she's nice enough. I didn't pay a great deal of attention to her when I first got there, because I was nervous and she was sitting behind the reception desk. I had to do a double take when she walked into the lunch room (which has a tv and everyone watches daytime soaps - or cricket, which was on today). I didn't recognise her from reception and I'm about 99% convinced she's had gender reassignment. She's very tall, big boned, has a deep voice, loads of very feminine make-up and beautifully manicured fingernails. No, those things don't automatically assume she used to be a boy, but geez, if she wasn't, she's a very masculine looking/sounding woman.

As far as I can tell, I have to be pretty careful about my internet use. More specifically, the sites I go to. Firstly, I have a 19" screen that faces the entire office. Secondly, it's all pretty regulated. I think I have access to anything, but I'm not going to risk anything except my webmail for a while. Mind you, it looks like I won't have time for any of that. At least, not till I settle into a routine and can plan my own days.

My hayfever/sinus miraculously went for the entire day and promptly returned after I left. I went straight to my acupuncture guy and he gave me a great massage and stuck needles in my face. I feel better, but I'm sure I'll have to drug up tomorrow when those needles take effect.

All in all, I had a better day than I anticipated. We'll see how I go tomorrow.

In other news, Mr So-not-right has been texting me every afternoon, and enquired how my first day was. I reply to him, but I don't contact him first. It's a shame such a nice guy is so totally wrong. It's also a shame I can't get T out of my head, but that's another story and one I'm sure my psychologist will smack me for next week.

Off to read my feng shui book...and take hayfever drugs.