Tag: work

Posted on

Gratitudes 2018, Day 41

After several long months of working with Assessment Delivery (ADel, for short), today marked my first day back with Publishing (Pubs, for short). And for that, I am very grateful… I don’t think there’s a short version for that.

That’s not to say that working with ADel was all trials and tribulations. I kinda liked it there because it was a wide-open room and I was sitting across a table from some other contractors from Pubs instead of staring at the wall. No more random conversations about random stuff at random times, so I’ll miss the laid-back atmosphere and camaraderie with the ADel folks. That said…

  1. Being back in Pubs. I liked (most of) the work I was doing there in the winter and spring and I’m glad to be doing that again.

  2. New computer monitors. When four of us moved over to ADel for the summer, we brought all of our equipment with us: laptops, extra monitors, keyboards, etc. There were a few people who worked in Pubs for a while during that time and those people got their own equipment as well. When they left, it all stayed behind. “This intern had some pretty nice monitors… mine now!”

  3. An empty workspace next to mine. We brought all of our equipment back, there was some left behind by other people… if I remember right, the workspace next to me is currently housing six flat-screen monitors, three keyboards, two laptop docking stations, a few computer mice, plenty of random cords… I wouldn’t call it a computer graveyard. More like a scrap heap.

  4. Desk drawers. I still have Baby Groot on my desk to hold a bunch of pens, but I can throw papers into a drawer instead of awkwardly keeping them tucked partway under my keyboard.

  5. The Balloon of Happiness. During our time in ADel, we had a balloon. All of us Pubs people drew different facial features on it and it became the Balloon of Happiness. Later in the summer, we came into possession of ten more balloons. (Don’t ask me how unless you want to end up being an accomplice…) Many of those balloons ended up with facial features as well: one was scowling, one had an ecstatic grin, there were two cats and a dog and now they’re all in my workspace tucked behind one of my new monitors. Except for the original. I brought that back to ADel. (Given all of the projects that keep getting dropped in their laps, I figured they could use it.)

Posted on

Gratitudes 2018, Day 23

I was really dragging today at work and even started doing the tired head bob in the middle of the afternoon. Yeah, it was pretty bad. (Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as a production editor who got hired at the beginning of the summer and released three weeks later: he fell asleep at his desk on his third day. Yeah, that’s even worse. One of my coworkers likes to refer to him as “Sleepy McSleeperson”.) But even when I’m really tired, there are still things to be grateful for.

  1. Having two break rooms at work. There’s one right across the hall in the part of the building where I’m working, but when I’m nodding off, taking a walk to the one further away is a good way to help me wake up.
  2. Old prescription bottles. After so many years of picking up meds at the pharmacy, I’ve had a variety of different sizes. If I want to recycle the plastic, I can peel off my prescription information and toss them. Alternatively, I can use them to hold other stuff: vitamins… fish oil tablets… coins… that’s right, one style is almost the perfect size for carrying quarters, so I filled one with a bunch of spare change to use in vending machines in the break room.
  3. Vending machines. Sometimes, you’re hungry and need a snack. Sometimes, you need an excuse to go for a walk that doesn’t involve all of the stalls being occupied in the restroom.
  4. Multiple restrooms in the building. Because sometimes “Just wait until one of these is available” isn’t a viable option.
  5. Walking. Because sometimes “Just put on some roller skates and skate to the break room/restroom” isn’t a viable option. Most times. Probably all the time. The employee handbook doesn’t mention it specifically, but I’m guessing no roller skating in the halls is an unwritten rule.
  6. Legs. Because sometimes “Just walk/roller skate with your hands” isn’t a viable option.