new work

A bit of a whirr. Today started a new longer-term job, one which grew out of a temp job I'd done well and had liked. It does provide a bit more constancy, and is relatively close to home, and pretty interesting.

Today was the first day, had my training, and was all nervous for it. On the way to work, I thought "uohh, moechte jemand, die mich dabei an der Hand halten" like the small children who were paired off always walking in a line near the bus stop at my old work.

It was okay, though, had my training and know what I will do differently and better from how it's being done now. Also opportunities to learn about various psychiatric conditions and other things, and an interesting part of town I'd not visited much before, but close to other parts I know well. The only thing was that I had forgotten my money and cards, like my driver's license, and so didn't really eat much beyond tea all day. But now I've had dinner and am better. I was always one of those kids who needed notes pinned onto her so things wouldn't be forgotten and I wonder how I will do in such a detail-oriented position. As long as there are lists and systems, I should be okay. I go back tomorrow, and then this weekend visit Portland. Still reading Pamuk's Snow.

It was a bit of a shock to look at the schedule and to see one day off for Christmas. I wonder if that means I can't visit my family and maybe ski, an icky thought on a dreary day. Then the person who was training me said that she often wasn't really invited to the christmas parties because the groups she works with can be pretty insular. Any thoughts I had of starting a new Gluehwein and Stolle tradition there vanished. I guess transitions can always involve some anxiety.

More and more, I think that academia is merely structured around protecting abusers and abuse. Honesty, integrity, and the literature itself are not the primary concerns or priorities of the profession, I have learned.