A Random Week of Mostly Good Experiences
Some of the elements of the week were serious, some odd, all
somewhat random. So here are some random
observations …
- I had a 30-minute one-on-one with my new top boss on
Wednesday. I claim to have plenty of
confidence in those situations but I still get nervous in advance of meetings
like that. Some of my co-workers think I
have a lot of political savvy in the corporate work world. The truth is that I have just enough
confidence to say the right things at the right time and I learned that after
years of saying the wrong things at the wrong times many times. I call it job security. At least one co-worker thinks I’m a suck-up
to the bosses. I think it’s more that I
believe employees should get to know their managers. I won’t ever be great friends with high-power
corporate managers, but I have learned how to be comfortable in close proximity
with those folks for short periods of time; more job security. By the way, this new boss is crazy about
motivational quotes and philosophies and I respond well to that, so I think we’ll
get along just fine.
- I love my new apartment.
The only thing I don’t like is that I can hear people walking around in
the apartment above me. I hope I don’t
ever hear him or her having sex. I hope
they don’t hear me either, should it ever actually happen.
- The oddest thing about my new place is that I’ve set off the
smoke alarms twice already. I’ve been a
home owner for 17 years and I’m the son of a pro-caliber amateur carpenter so
I know that the smoke detector is really in the wrong place. When I spoke with someone in the rental
office who also lives here I learned that this is a fairly regular issue. Their solution is in the picture. That is a cross between a shower cap and a
condom. Put it on the smoke detector
when it’s time to cook. Hmmm.
- My previous commute was 84 miles round trip a day, taking a
minimum of 50 minutes each way; usually it was more than an hour each way. What a waste of time and gas. My new commute is 18 miles round trip, taking
as little as 22 minutes. The most it
took was 30 minutes each way yesterday.
In other words, I just gained back the time equivalent of an entire work
day a week.
- As I get settled into my new routine and my new life, I am
making plans to restart some things I just couldn’t make happen a few years
ago. First on the list: Italian
lessons. Next session starts in March. On the future list: back to college, salsa
dance lessons, a professional level photography course, volunteer work with
some local non-profit groups, find a spiritual home, travel to see friends and
family. I might even try dating again
someday; that’ll be worth a few blog posts, won’t it?
Meanwhile, time for another glass of wine and some
television channel surfing.
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