Sunday 23 October 2011

new things

well i start my new job tomorrow. i wish now that i had taken a week off between jobs - liminal space and all that. my head is still at my old job to some extent and i keep remembering things and sending emails to my former colleagues that will confirm any lingering doubts they may have had about my sanity. this morning i woke up in a rush after dreaming that i'd gone to my old office and forgotten to go to my new office - only remembering when they rang to find out where i was.

i feel a bit anxious too, but i'm sure that will go fast enough. i also feel like i'm coming down with a cold which is seriously bad timing. hopefully the industrial levels of vitamin c, zinc and echinacea i'm necking will hold it at bay.

so - tally ho and what not (ahem) - wish me luck!

Tuesday 18 October 2011

in which things get a little crazy and emotional but all work out in the end (i hope)

actually, that about sums it up.

so, i have a new job, i start on monday, it's with a consultancy group in the city, and corporate corporate corporate. right now, today, this seems like a ludicrous move, but i did have a pro/con list and everything, and BOTH my mom and n agreed that it was a good idea. i can only trust that my decision-making process was sound and hope to god my new boss isn't a psychopath. if anyone knows how to squeeze a size 14 body into a size 10 suit please email me immediately. solutions must not exclude eating or (especially) drinking.

the imminent beginning of the new job necessarily involves extraction from the old job, and this is sad. i am sad to leave. i will miss my friends, and all of the lovely people (they're all lovely when you are about to leave). i keep getting emails saying how much i'll be missed, which is sweet, and appreciated, but does nothing for my willpower. i will have a good send off on thursday, and i will try not to cry.

i will try not to cry as i look ahead to actually working, hard again.

i will try not to cry as we go from being paid weekly to NOT BEING PAID AT ALL FOR 5 WEEKS. that's going to be fun and educational, if you think that getting creative with dried beans is educational. maybe those old size 10 suits in my closet aren't out of the question after all.

and i will try not to cry as during all of this, which is nothing, really, my dad in canada is not well. he's going to be ok, i think, but it's a tough time right now. i feel selfish, obsessing about work when there are so many bigger more important things, but then on the other hand, if i obsessed about the big stuff, i'd probably never get out of bed again.

this is yet another reason why knitting is so great. you can obsess and worry all you like about how your socks are turning out, but at the end of the day, they're just socks.

there's probably a moral in there somewhere.

Thursday 13 October 2011

*sniff* i'm going to miss this job

going through old emails in preparation for leaving camden next week (i have a new shiny job - it's all good), i found this. it was in response to our manager asking us what we were working on so he knew what to write on our contract extension forms.

From: grapecat
Sent: 10 September 2010 15:58
To: manager
Subject: What I do

This is an interesting and multi-layered question. However, I assume that you are referring specifically to what I do at Camden and not, for instance, general physical manifestations such as the continual processing of oxygen into carbon dioxide or the existential angst that unfortunately stalks all sentient beings.

At Camden, I am one of four project managers who are tasked with delivering moves, office refurbishments, and the introduction of flexible working to a council that is – how do we say this politely - somewhat resistant to change. I am currently working with the xxxxx Directorate, where I am nearing the end of the planning stage and the beginning of the implementation stage of a large project. This project is designed to introduce hotdesking, modern records management, and a new and improved desking layout to the 6th floor of the Town Hall Extension, as well as balancing out desking, filing, and staff numbers throughout the floors occupied by the xxxxx directorate. I do this through a series of team meetings, staff consultations, coordination, planning, and, frankly, sheer blind optimism.

The implantation stage of this project begins on the weekend of 2-3 October, and will continue throughout the month. It is likely that there will be further work to complete throughout November as staff settle into their new environment and embrace (cough) new ways of working.

In addition to this, I have also been unofficially seconded to the xxxx team working with Procurement, although this may have unofficially drawn to a close.

I am also assisting in working with the new Removal contractor to establish ways of working and associated documentation that will carry us through the 4-year contract period.

On a personal note, I love to read, knit, prepare and eat good meals with great friends, and I am inordinately fond of puppies.

Yours most sincerely,

grapecat
Project Manager
Property Services

*****

From: manager
Sent: 10 September 2010 16:18
To: grapecat
Subject: RE: What I do

Thanks for this, however could you please expand on your general physical manifestations such as the continual processing of oxygen into carbon dioxide or the existential angst that is unfortunately stalking you?

Many thanks,

manager
Project Manager

Sunday 2 October 2011