A much better day

The first two days of my new job were fairly hellish. I was quite intimidated by the reality of a whole bunch of new people (well, men) who kept warning me about the delicate political situation. And being IT men they're also fairly objective oriented, and not big on feedback, so I couldn't really tell if I was doing what they expected me to do, or even whether or not I could do what they expected me to. And new job + PMT = exhausted and cranky Linda. (Sorry, Xopher!)

Today was much better. It started well with a morning tea where I found someone else I knew. Not that having Dave there hasn't been very nice; he occasionally drops past my desk-in-exile. Over timtams, I talked to my new boss (yeah, already) about what he expected from me. When I explained my current strategy, he and his boss were all smiles, which is good.

Then later I had a meeting that opened with everyone praising my discussion paper, which I always like, and then discussing my sound plans and more praise, so I was pretty much zooming. Then I discover that the one woman I've met who seems both highly intelligent and engaged in my project -- I'd been told three times separately that it would be essential to develop a rapport with her -- turns out to speak some Japanese too. Bliss bliss bliss.

It was so funny. Someone else spoke some Italian (which she also speaks). I denied all understanding, explaining that I only spoke Japanese. She bounced and said, "Watashi mo!" (Me too!) and then we both said, "Sugoi!" (Cool!) and we both jumped up and down clapping hands and promising to be bestest friends for ever. (At least that's how I remember it. I was pretty happy by then.)

And I've decided that working in the city is just the coolest thing. I went to an Asian grocery store today! There's a choice of sushi stores! There's a shop that sells tea! I can eat my lunch outside sitting on the grass with a whole bunch of other people! Yay!

So cheered was I by the whole day that I stopped in at the National Library on the way home and did some research into my family tree. Genealogy is a lot like collecting. And I like collecting things. So far I'm up to my mother's mother's mother's mother's mother (or GGG Grandmother). Research on my dad's side isn't going so well, since it's stalled at my grandfather who was born in Scotland. But still. Fun.

PS. Glad to hear you liked it, Dimensioneer. 8)