First Day of Work

So now I am officially a receptionist for the Seattle branch of a major architecture firm. 8 hours in, I'm not sure what I think. My boss seems nice, but reminds me eerily of my former roommate (the bitchy one), so I'm a little afraid. She strikes me as a micromanager, which I guess I don't really mind since the job shouldn't be too stressful. I'm answering phones and doing basic office work, and am making more than I made before despite having much less responsibility. Does this make me a lazy slacker? Maybe.

The day got off to a rough start. Despite Brian's promise that we would have drapes, heat and hot water when we moved in, we didn't. We slept poorly due to the noise from the faucet leaking Niagara Falls in the bathroom and the light coming in from the 16-foot window, combined with the chill of sleeping on an air-mattress with no heat. Fortunately, the cold shower at 7 am woke me up. Nothing says "good morning" like ice on your skull! I made a cup of tea and a big steaming bowl of oatmeal to warm up, and hit the road. It was drizzling.

I got to the office around 9, which is an hour later than I will need to arrive every other day of my employment with the firm. Fortunately, Carol, my boss, moved this weekend too and was just as exhausted as I, so I don't feel too bad for being a zombie. Braaaains. I struggled to stay conscious as she taught me the riveting essentials of my job, which would probably be difficult even with a good night's sleep and a bunch of ritalin. It's not a hard position, but it was a lot of information to absorb. I had an orientation conference call at 1 with the HR lady in Montana and other new hires, which pretty much zapped my energy for the rest of the afternoon. I'm a little bummed that I didn't make a better impression, but oh well. Braaains.

The office is at the bottom of a big hill. I live at the top. Walking to work was easy, and walking home was a bit of a challenge. I decided to reward myself half-way up for surviving my first day with with a latte from Starbucks. And because I really deserved it, I made it soy: 40 cents extra. However, as soon as I ordered I realized I didn't have my wallet. I almost cried. The nice/apathetic barista gave it to me for free, and I rejoiced. I will give her a big tip next time I go in. Or never show my face in there again out of shame.

So, I go back tomorrow at 8, and the day after that, and the day after that. The hot water heater is still broken. When you turn on the faucet in the bathroom sink, water comes out in the tub too, but at least it isn't running constantly. We still don't have blinds, and the heat still hasn't been fixed. We're drinking beer and are about to play scrabble. I'm going to pick out my second-day outfit.

Braaains.