The word of the week is peaceful.
Did you see my blog entry last week? LOTS in there about Phoenix Comicon 2013!
May 27 - Recovery time
Today was mostly a recovery day from the convention in AZ.
As I mentioned last week, I was home by noon, exhausted in
every sense of the word. I didn't sleep all day, but by the time my normal
bedtime rolled around I was still very tired, no question.
It was a good day though; once I'd rested a bit, I could
sense a difference in the air, being home. There was a lightness to things, as
though I'd come back to a room with the shades drawn and, pulling them back,
had seen that the day was lightening outside through the cloud cover. It was
peaceful.
The evening was spent mainly typing up my blog… and I still
didn't manage to finish it. As you may
have seen, last week's entry was BIG, over 6000 words in total which is triple
my usual weekly blog entry in size, on average. I tried to capture as much of
the fun and fantastic from the four days I spent at the Phoenix Comicon 2013 and I think I succeeded, as reading through it, I can clearly see how each day
was a blur of karmic possibility… which is why I'm so tired today, but also why I'm still feeling so
happy.
May 28 - First Day in Copy
Wasting no time, I started my new job posting today, and it was
a busy one!
Copy's all about workflow, about getting things done right
AND on time. Efficiency, multitasking and proper communication are key to
ensuring you don't get in over your head, OR drag everyone else along with you
for a tumble.
But I didn't have to worry about much of that today. All I
was doing was learning my way around the Copy Center, which isn't that big a
place but it's complicated enough for someone with no previous experience in
the area; it was the only aspect of office retail I wasn't trained in way back
in the day.
So I shadowed people, wrote down a LOT of things, observed
carefully and listened - a lot.
It was fascinating and by the day's end I was tired, but not
feeling too overwhelmed. It helps to have staff that know what they're doing
and who follow standards that are meant to keep things moving smoothly. Most every one of the customers I saw were
happy, pleased with the service and quite able to communicate their needs to
the Copy staff without too many hand gestures or confused looks - I saved those
for myself.
From what I estimate, I should be fully trained in about a
month's time, if I apply myself, which I plan to. If there's one thing this
company doesn't stint on, it's training resources, which I'll be using fully!
It also helps that everyone's VERY friendly and helpful, which goes a long way
to making me feel comfortable.
May 29 - Sub pics!
Remember earlier in May, when I found out I was working the
entire weekend that tours were being offered for the HMCS Victoria submarine
that was on-base at the time? Talk about disappointment. But:
Thanks to the internet, I found a great set of photos posted
by one lucky sonofagun who managed to go on the tour! Apparently you needed
tickets purchased beforehand, something that was not specified and would have
tripped me up had I simply shown up at the base like I had planned to, had I
not been working.
You can find the full set of photos posted HERE - for now,
simply enjoy this one:
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| Hey, that's Victoria's Inner Harbour painted on the bulkhead in the mess! |
May 30 - The Pits
Also earlier this month, a friend of mine linked to an
interesting article online.
It suggests that for relationships, one should embrace the
uncomfortable moments.
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| Much more cute than uncomfortable, but these two usually end up at loggerheads... |
Sounds like something that's hard to get your head around,
but reading the article, it tends to make sense. It's akin to taking the good
with the bad, or the old for better or worse attitude - but with a deeper
understanding. I'm no expert, but I fully understand that to truly develop the
closest of bonds with a partner, you HAVE to embrace ALL that they are, not
just the good bits. The all is what makes them who they are; if they were just
a collection of happy without the sad, then there's no depth.
Which isn't all that interesting, right?
May 31 - Recap!
Where was I at, a year ago?
Let's see. Positives: I'd left my job of twelve years
voluntarily, in order to stay alive and sane. I'd just finished moving into the
city proper, after spending too long outside of it and isolated. Oh, and I'd
begun writing my novel in earnest, which would end up taking me just three
months to finish the first draft.
On the downside, I'd injured my wrists, which made finding a
job much harder - I'd end up going over a year without work, which was tougher
than you might imagine. I wasn't feeling very solid emotionally because of
that, which kept the feeling of isolation growing, instead of lessening from
moving into town. And financially, well... let's not go there either.
Yet, looking back, things came together of their own accord.
I finished a second draft of the novel and submitted it to a
publisher. Though they declined to take it, I'd met my goal of making the
submission deadline with a GOOD second draft that took me only a few weeks to
craft, albeit composed of 14-hour writing days.
I found a job, finally. One where the people are great and
the company doesn't feel like a prowling pack of wolves ready to rend me
limbless should I make a mistake. AND has room for advancement based on merit,
instead of the slimy trails of corporate bootlicking - that's a huge thing in
and of itself.
Personally and emotionally, I'm in a better place. Since my
journey to AZ, I've left behind a lot of the burdens I was carrying. I believe
the rest of my year will be a positive climb towards those goals that have been
eluding me for far too long.
Winter is a fading dark memory, spring's almost done and
summer's just about here. It's going to be a good one!
June 1 - Valued at work
Today was a great example of the right kind of job stress.
This was my last non-Copy shift for a while and I came in
expecting it to be busy… not knowing that we'd end up being short FOUR people
today for various reasons.
At my last job, that would have meant my pulling a 12-hour
day at two branches while trying to get someone, anyone, in to cover and so not
have to shut down a branch for a total lack of staff - stupid, really. Not to
mention the massive stress of trying to serve a lobby full of people by myself.
Whereas today, though it was so busy that I had people
lining up to ask me to help them, the stress never materialized. Sure, I was
tired by the end of the day, no question, but I was still smiling and still
joking with my co-workers about how crazy it'd been. What a difference in
company attitude having a "do your best" mantra makes, instead of
"You'd better not let anything slip up once or else" from my previous workplace.
Amazing difference!
At the end of the day, I was also told by one of the
managers how MUCH they LOVED having me around! Praise unasked for but given
freely is SO great to get; being told that they knew I could handle any kind of
busy situation on my own and keep customers happy was fantastic to hear. In addition,
I was told that being in Copy meant a "one-way ticket to the top" for
getting me into management ASAP - so my wants are being listened to AND acted
on, which is spectacular considering I've been with the company for only 3
months now, one of those working nights! I left work today feeling very, very
happy.
June 2 - Mumm
Today was my mother's 67th birthday and I traveled up to my
parent's place to spend the afternoon there. We sat outside in the lovely
sunshine, chatting and simply passing the time together. Later on, my dad and
sister joined us so we could all have dinner at the nearby Beach House, which
was also lovely. We had a great time, just relaxing with the great view and
enjoying one another's company totally. It was one of the better family dinners
I can recall for many a year and we all left smiling.
Later on that night( and a week late )I finally watched the
new Arrested Development.
Oddly, I wasn't immediately taken with it. Without spoiling
the new season's first episode, I have to say I didn't find it was as strongly
written or engrossing as the last 3 seasons were. It was too complex too often
and the plotlines seemed a little… weak. Still, it's been MADE and I'll keep
watching for more Bluth!
Also, I realized a few parallels from A.Dev and my own life.
Take, for example, the title blurb:
It's the story of a wealthy family that lost everything, and the
one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.
Take out 'wealthy' and that's been me, jumping through hoops
to keep my family afloat. I felt a chill while watching tonight, when Michael
debarks from an aircraft… into the Phoenix Skyharbour airport, having always
wanted to travel there to pursue a dream - one week after I traveled there
myself for the first time.
How's that for art imitating life?
Believe it or not, I'm still feeling tired from my sojourn
last week to Phoenix. The physical drain wasn't too bad, but the emotional toll
was rather massive… and transformative. Once I bounce back, I'll be soaring,
but for now I'm going to catch up on some lost sleep aggressively all this next
week!
