Thursday, August 17, 2006
Not all sunshine and BBQ
Life in Richmond is not all about tasty meat from the cafeteria's carving station.
Beyond our ongoing house sale efforts, there have been a few adjustments that have made me question the wisdom of the decision to change cities.
1. The Richmond-to-DC Drive: last week I was standing outside my truck with the engine off in the middle of I-95 for 45 minutes after an accident closed the highway 300 yards from where I was standing.
2. Life in a cubicle: I have been spoiled by having a private office for all of my previous positions. In this job I have a cubicle, which means I get to hear things like the lady behind me clipping her finger nails, every phone conversation within 20 feet, and the 55 year old extrovert who starts each day by asking "Ready for another fun-filled day?"
3. Life underground: For the first few weeks, not only am I in a cubicle, but I am in a temporary cubicle, in the basement, in the corner. So, the only times I see sunlight is when I am on another floor for a meeting or in the cafeteria. Earlier this week I left work to find it was pouring down rain (3 inches in one hour), and I had no umbrella. With no access to daylight, I had no idea it was raining until I got past security on the way out. Its kind of like being in a casino, you lose track of night and day. Thankfully, I should be moving to a more permenant location in the next couple weeks... hopefully above ground.
4. Exile: When I lived in Richmond before it was right after grad school. I had few friends in Richmond and spent most of my time away from work watching TV alone. The first 6 months, I remember listening to the radio to hear people talk, not the music. My current experience is creating flashbacks to those times.
Hopefully, most of this unpleasantness will be short-lived.
Beyond our ongoing house sale efforts, there have been a few adjustments that have made me question the wisdom of the decision to change cities.
1. The Richmond-to-DC Drive: last week I was standing outside my truck with the engine off in the middle of I-95 for 45 minutes after an accident closed the highway 300 yards from where I was standing.
2. Life in a cubicle: I have been spoiled by having a private office for all of my previous positions. In this job I have a cubicle, which means I get to hear things like the lady behind me clipping her finger nails, every phone conversation within 20 feet, and the 55 year old extrovert who starts each day by asking "Ready for another fun-filled day?"
3. Life underground: For the first few weeks, not only am I in a cubicle, but I am in a temporary cubicle, in the basement, in the corner. So, the only times I see sunlight is when I am on another floor for a meeting or in the cafeteria. Earlier this week I left work to find it was pouring down rain (3 inches in one hour), and I had no umbrella. With no access to daylight, I had no idea it was raining until I got past security on the way out. Its kind of like being in a casino, you lose track of night and day. Thankfully, I should be moving to a more permenant location in the next couple weeks... hopefully above ground.
4. Exile: When I lived in Richmond before it was right after grad school. I had few friends in Richmond and spent most of my time away from work watching TV alone. The first 6 months, I remember listening to the radio to hear people talk, not the music. My current experience is creating flashbacks to those times.
Hopefully, most of this unpleasantness will be short-lived.
# posted by Rob : Thursday, August 17, 2006
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sounds like you need a good friend to move down there to keep you company. oh, right, or your family. sometimes i forget we aren't 20 anymore.
When I first got this job I was so astounded at how noisy cubicle life was that I went out on my lunchbreak on the first day and bought a set of headphones.
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