Or "Today was the first day of my new job".

Comparing it to previous first days, I'd say it was about normal. I left fifteen minutes early in order to get there before I was supposed to, and it was good that I did because I hit every red light on the way and ended up arriving right on time. I spent the first hour and a half in orientation with HR, most of it filling out paperwork and watching a really corny HazMat Safety instructional video starring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Both of whom kept marveling at being in "the 20th Century," if that tells you anything about when this particular video was made. I'm guessing the late eighties or early nineties, based on the hairstyles and clothing of the more modern characters in it.

Around 10:00 I was ushered upstairs to my new cubicle. It's smaller than my last working area, but seems to have more usuable desk space, which is nice. It was empty when I arrived. It seems that my new boss put in the order for my computer the day I accepted the job, but someone dropped the ball and it was ordered only six days before my arrival. There was no phone either. The computer showed up in about twenty minutes, though, and the phone was installed just as I was returning from being introduced to ten or fifteen people whose names I will not be able to remember until I've been there for a year or two.

There wasn't much actual work for me to start on today, but that was actually rather nice as I spent quite a bit of time just customizing the new machine (a PC... back on a PC after 5 years on the same dinosaur Mac) and setting up email, work-related bookmarks, etc. I brought a lunch with me but didn't eat it as I went out to Chik-Fil-A with a group of my new coworkers, one of whom is pregnant and apparently chooses to eat at Chik-Fil-A every day. As we got out of the car at the restaurant, she remarked, "Where else can you buy happiness for $5.20?"

After returning from lunch the afternoon sped by fairly quickly. I met a few more people, learned some more about my immediate coworkers (all but two are married, those two are engaged, all the married ones have kids except for one) and got some office supplies. I started arranging things on my desk, and toward the end of the day actually got a couple of jobs to begin working on. I'm still missing some of my software, though, so I don't know how much headway I'll be able to make until that arrives.

The working environment of this place reminds me a LOT of the place I used to work two jobs ago. They're very emphatic and enthusiastic about Core Values and their little illustration of them even looks very similar to one I designed for SRC years ago when I worked there. Also, because of the nature of the business, there is a lot of security -- photo name badges must be worn at all times and are required to enter the building. However, it does differ in one significant regard... the dress code, while still referred to as "business casual," is actually much more relaxed than anywhere I've ever worked before. I can actually wear jeans and (GASP) sneakers to work-- not just on Friday-- but on any day I feel like it. Nice.

So that's how my first day went. I'm sure I'll have more to comment on in the future. Tomorrow will probably be a training day and a chance to work, if only a little, on those jobs they gave me today. I've been told that Wednesday and Thursday half my days will involve "job-shadowing" of people from all the departments of the company, just to get a feel for the place as a whole and what part each area plays in the whole. Should be interesting.

Gri"back on the Isle of the Ployees"shny