After dinner today everyone made a mass effort to start moving things from the old office over to the new space. Stuck wearing heels, exhausted from the day, and left without insurance, I wasn't much use. Plus, the boss kindly remembered my strained back and didn't want me to exert myself too heavily. So, I did a lot of hobbling back and forth carrying light items, as well as more of the thinking work, like figuring out where things would go and what we still needed to get for the place.
It's amazing how much stuff there was in the little space we had been working from, which was only 220 square feet plus a loft area of about 80 sq ft. Now the entryway to the new place is cluttered with various boxes and knickknacks that will need to be put away this weekend. We've got a lot more space now, which will provide a different dynamic at work, since we'll all have our own space to work at and there won't be as much crowding around a table together. There's a separate meeting room area too, in case I ever need to get away from distractions and really focus on work.
I'm glad I came at this time, to catch a glimpse of how things used to work in the office and watch how it develops now. It'll be an adjustment to have everyone on the same floor so we can see each other. Space was generally more communal with a huge table and benches that most of us shared, but now we're going to have smaller tables and more consistent seating. I kind of liked the old way, being crammed there with everyone living like a family. Now it's going to be a lot easier to operate more independently and I probably won't even need anyone to pass me the snacks or help me get a cup of water so I don't have to try to navigate around them.
This change is all at once exciting and bittersweet and I look forward to seeing how things develop from here. This weekend will be spent settling in so we can do business as usual from the new place starting Monday morning. I'm afraid I'm going to spend a lot of time being confused as to what goes where and how I can help, since I don't really know how things are organized and I have nothing of my own to arrange and organize. Perhaps I will bring my Joe Bruin bear to spruce up the desk space, if we end up with designated spots. I can see us just setting up a bunch of tables in that area and people moving around still. That'd actually be quite fun and nice - still reminiscent of how things operated before.
Time to put on my working clothes and get ready to get down and dirty all weekend! It'll be a fun time to work together with these people on something other than the projects.
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"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Right? Wrong! I came across a blog post about how this old adage may just be a myth (and another one confirming his point). Granted, I don't know the validity of these claims, but they make sense and it sure does give me hope, being the night owl that I am. I decided to take advantage of President's Day sales today by going to Kohl's to buy myself a young working woman's wardrobe. I have only ever held two jobs that required professional attire - one was an internship that I went to twice a week and one was a summer job that had business casual days two or three times a week. This job in Singapore will be the first time that I need enough fancy clothes to wear five or six days a week for many long hours!
I have feared this shopping trip for far too long and it's nice to finally get it out of the way. I always knew it was coming, but I never really needed to stock up, so I never had the patience to spend so much time sorting through what I wanted and what I didn't. Why did I fear it? Because "business casual" is a very hard term to define nowadays. Traditionally it was business formal attire minus the outer jacket, but with trends influencing what we wear, there are my nice button-up shirts that are also inappropriate for the office. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between what adds a nice stylish flair to your outfit and what gives off the entirely wrong impression. It's a fine line to walk. I mentioned before that I was going to take the opportunity to go work in Singapore. Well, I am on my final two weeks here and we just booked the ticket! I'll be flying out March 1st on Singapore Air, which I'm excited for - I hear it's a posh airline. It's not really sinking in that I'm leaving yet, but by the time I get back in six months, things will be drastically different. [originally posted February 2, 2009] [originally posted January 27, 2009] [originally posted January 5, 2009] [originally posted January 1, 2009] |
laelene My philosophy is simple: things change. Therefore, we are all on a lifelong journey of discovery. We should be flexible, questioning, learning, adapting, and growing. Always. Archives
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