19th October 2010
Well here we go, I started this new work yesterday. I'm not entirely sure what to tell you about it, because it's work and it's all a bit the same. I'm never wildly impressed when people spend 10 - 15 minutes telling you how different they are rather than demonstrating it, you know?
At any rate, I was there on time, and had been terribly well organised all morning - how sad that it all falls apart this morning!! Still never mind, there was a group of about 12 of us I suppose, and I think myself and one other lady are clearly the eldest by some way I'd say. I think that by and large, the group is clearly made up of students. It is a nice building, modern and somewhat confusing in lay out - I got lost at least once, but I think I'll manage to find my way around it by the end of the week. We got to do training, and yep, at last I have a contract in my hand - which reminds me I really must call the benefits people etc and then I'll have to ferry this thing around from organisation to organisation so they can all photocopy it etc. But I really must get that done.
Anyhow the training by and large was taken up with all the things you expect - filling out forms, listening to health and safety drills, and a lot of chat about security etc - you're expected to have your phone off, which must be quite distressing for the younger ones who expect to be in communication with the world at a moments notice any time of the day or night. But you can, and are expected to be able to demonstrate that it's off when asked at any time by a manager - to me, this is strange, but of course I suppose people wouldn't turn them off unless they were liable to be checked.
So today of course, the actual training starts - I'm doing my best to be enthusiastic about this, but of course age and experience will have it's evil way with one, and enthusiasm, for me, is something that grows depending on the environment I find myself in. Too many super-grinning individuals around me and I'm apt to switch right off, almost as if I have to be different! But we'll see. At any rate they took the Jury Service thing well, which is good, and the full on 2 - 10 training is only going to be 3 days instead of 5, which is also good, as with any luck come Thursday I'll be able to crack on with real, uni-type work. As it is, I'm not doing wildly well with the get up early and crack on with it, before dashing off to go to work, if you see what I mean. I managed it yesterday, and even read a chapter of a - well ok, half a chapter of a book before I went to sleep last night, but so far I have not got very far with the stuff I'm supposed to have read for the seminar tomorrow. However, I shall take it to work with me, isolate myself in the 30 minute lunch break and crack on with it. And it's only ten thirty, so I can get a bit more done this morning, and hopefully a bit more tonight. Hopefully it will all shakedown in a week or two and I'll have developed a routine - jury service permitting - and all will be well.
