Chicago Transit Authority Help Desk: Hi, this is L., how can I help you?
Me: Yeah, hi, when I got on the bus today, the driver told me my card had been reported as stolen?? I did request a replacement card, but I haven't received it yet.
CTA: Can I have the serial number on your card?
Me: Sure, 00035blahblahblah
CTA: Oh, you requested a replacement on Monday.
Me: Yes.
CTA: Your card gets deactivated 24 hours after you request a replacement.
Me: But I don't have a new one yet!
CTA: Well, that's because you chose to get it in the mail. You could have come to pick it up at headquarters the next day.
Me: I didn't realize the card would be deactivated so quickly, probably because it didn't say that on the form. When will my new card arrive in the mail?
CTA: 5-7 business days.
Me: Wait. So, my card was deactivated after 24 hours, but my new card won't arrive for 5-7 days?
CTA: Exactly.
27 June 2007
20 June 2007
The Rat Race...Maybe?
Excluding the new job, the biggest group I've ever worked with was 20 people. My last job was just me and my boss. The new company has nearly one thousand spread over five floors of cubicles. At least three times a day, I walk to the bathroom past probably one hundred people I will never meet. Makes for a very different environment, to say the least.
And it's an interesting small-town-type microcosm of human behavior. I'm continually amazed by the inability of most people to understand that they can control the awkwardness of a situation. If you simply pretend (and act like) it isn't awkward, it suddenly isn't! Say, "it's cozy in here" when the twelve of us are currently crammed in a elevator by virtue of nothing other than our common start date instead of staring awkwardly at your feet. (Or laugh politely when someone else says it, thankyouverymuch) Tell the new employee it's nice to meet her and ask her what her last job was or if she's heard about bagel Wednesday when you meet me instead of stammering out your name and staring intently at the introducer for an incredibly awkward 45 seconds. I wouldn't call myself incredibly outgoing, but it's just not that hard! Know when you hold the cards in any given interaction (i.e. you're the one who's obviously more comfortable in a situation because you know either the people or the surroundings better) and then make it work!
Working for a big company has its pluses and minuses. After orientation Monday morning,:
-my ID picture came out as a bright yellow silhouette
-my keycard didn't work
-the computer wasn't hooked up to the monitor
- I didn't have access to the databases, which made it impossible for me to do anything remotely helpful (apparently, two more new people will be joining my team, so most of my for-real training will be next week)
-the people on my team kept standing up and saying things to each other like, "did you change the functionality on the S&P interface to user admin before or after the migration?"
-I had no chair
On the plus side, all but one of these problems were fixed by the next morning. And today featured bagel day in the Coyote Cafe and an Ice Cream Social (complete with a clown on stilts!) in the lobby. And I think there's a patio party tomorrow afternoon! Now, if I only understood what my job was going to be...
And it's an interesting small-town-type microcosm of human behavior. I'm continually amazed by the inability of most people to understand that they can control the awkwardness of a situation. If you simply pretend (and act like) it isn't awkward, it suddenly isn't! Say, "it's cozy in here" when the twelve of us are currently crammed in a elevator by virtue of nothing other than our common start date instead of staring awkwardly at your feet. (Or laugh politely when someone else says it, thankyouverymuch) Tell the new employee it's nice to meet her and ask her what her last job was or if she's heard about bagel Wednesday when you meet me instead of stammering out your name and staring intently at the introducer for an incredibly awkward 45 seconds. I wouldn't call myself incredibly outgoing, but it's just not that hard! Know when you hold the cards in any given interaction (i.e. you're the one who's obviously more comfortable in a situation because you know either the people or the surroundings better) and then make it work!
Working for a big company has its pluses and minuses. After orientation Monday morning,:
-my ID picture came out as a bright yellow silhouette
-my keycard didn't work
-the computer wasn't hooked up to the monitor
- I didn't have access to the databases, which made it impossible for me to do anything remotely helpful (apparently, two more new people will be joining my team, so most of my for-real training will be next week)
-the people on my team kept standing up and saying things to each other like, "did you change the functionality on the S&P interface to user admin before or after the migration?"
-I had no chair
On the plus side, all but one of these problems were fixed by the next morning. And today featured bagel day in the Coyote Cafe and an Ice Cream Social (complete with a clown on stilts!) in the lobby. And I think there's a patio party tomorrow afternoon! Now, if I only understood what my job was going to be...
17 June 2007
Quickie
I was watching the Food Network today. Nigella was expounding on desserts, and sorbet smoothies in particular, when she uttered the following tidbit:
"I find that the freezer is a very useful repository for time-saving deliciousness"Ridiculous as it is, anyone who can say *that* with a straight face is sort of my hero. She didn't even blink.
15 June 2007
On The Horse Again
New jobs are almost like going to college. You get to start over, to be whomever you choose with a whole new group of people and a whole new set of possibilities. And there's a sense of standing on the edge of something important. Like everything before it was a prelude, perhaps even leading directly to it. I realize that it generally only lasts a few weeks, but I'm drawn in every time.
I've been off work for a month, and it's not nearly as enjoyable as I might have guessed. Relaxing very quickly gives way to lack of stimulation (and lack of thoughts that translate into blog posts). Apparently, years of school and 40-hour workweeks have rendered me incapable of amusing myself for longer than a few hours at a time. Thank goodness for baseball. Otherwise, I would have had to take up knitting or something...
But it's back at it next week. As of Monday, I'll have to find a time outside of business hours to run errands and watch X-Files reruns. And the cat will (gratefully, I think) go back to having the apartment to herself during the day.
I've been off work for a month, and it's not nearly as enjoyable as I might have guessed. Relaxing very quickly gives way to lack of stimulation (and lack of thoughts that translate into blog posts). Apparently, years of school and 40-hour workweeks have rendered me incapable of amusing myself for longer than a few hours at a time. Thank goodness for baseball. Otherwise, I would have had to take up knitting or something...
But it's back at it next week. As of Monday, I'll have to find a time outside of business hours to run errands and watch X-Files reruns. And the cat will (gratefully, I think) go back to having the apartment to herself during the day.
07 June 2007
A Whole Lot Of Nothing
I'm not really one of those people who always needs to be doing something. I can sit on the couch for the better part of a day and not feel pressure to do much of anything at all. Or I can follow the cat's lead and take a nap because I can't come up with anything better to do and not feel particularly guilty about it. Hey, sleep is an accomplishment.
It turns out, though, that having structured activities (i.e. work) the rest of the time is a big part of that free lethargy. I'm on week three of a month off between jobs and it's absolutely incredible how easy it is to do nothing. I never fancied myself much of a putterer, but I just realized that I've now spent the better part of three days doing a couple hours worth of cleaning. There were some minor breaks (I went to the gym, watched a Sox game, cat was dragged kicking and screaming to the vet), but nothing that could account for that kind of lost time. I'm simply astounded by my ability to accomplish essentially nothing. Better at home than at work, I guess.
And now it's after midnight and I'm planning to count this (totally lame) post as an accomplishment on yesterday's list AND today's.
It turns out, though, that having structured activities (i.e. work) the rest of the time is a big part of that free lethargy. I'm on week three of a month off between jobs and it's absolutely incredible how easy it is to do nothing. I never fancied myself much of a putterer, but I just realized that I've now spent the better part of three days doing a couple hours worth of cleaning. There were some minor breaks (I went to the gym, watched a Sox game, cat was dragged kicking and screaming to the vet), but nothing that could account for that kind of lost time. I'm simply astounded by my ability to accomplish essentially nothing. Better at home than at work, I guess.
And now it's after midnight and I'm planning to count this (totally lame) post as an accomplishment on yesterday's list AND today's.
29 May 2007
What's Right In Front
You're 23 and watching a Friends rerun on a random Tuesday night and wondering when your Chandler Bing is going to walk in the front door with your Monica and your Phoebe and then the door does open and it's....the guy from downstairs whose name you can't remember (Adam? Aaron? Rob?) wondering if you know why the dryer isn't hot (you don't). Point being, groups of friends just don't seem to 'be there for you' whenever you might like. Downer alert: Adulthood can be a little lonely when compared to...TV. (So many things pale in comparison to entertainment media...)
I mentioned that I went back up to New England for a mini-college reunion. Nine girls, two nights up in the mountain lodge 50 miles from campus and one night in ye olde sorority basement for old times' sake. Fantastic! Despite a three year hiatus (haha, get it?), we fit right back in like the pieces of the whole we always were. Everyone was so happy to see each other and so sincere in their interest in everyone else. It was like a Norman Rockwell painting, only colder and rainier. (And dirtier. It's pretty hard to get in the shower when it's 40 degrees in the cabin.)
The patterns are the same (the doers are still the doers, the comic relief still the comic relief, the night owls still the night owls), but it was incredible to realize how we had all matured. Don't get me wrong, I thought they were great before, but everyone had more compassion, more direction, more clarity even than I remembered. Despite different backgrounds, different cities and different careers, we had grown together.
I mentioned that I went back up to New England for a mini-college reunion. Nine girls, two nights up in the mountain lodge 50 miles from campus and one night in ye olde sorority basement for old times' sake. Fantastic! Despite a three year hiatus (haha, get it?), we fit right back in like the pieces of the whole we always were. Everyone was so happy to see each other and so sincere in their interest in everyone else. It was like a Norman Rockwell painting, only colder and rainier. (And dirtier. It's pretty hard to get in the shower when it's 40 degrees in the cabin.)
The patterns are the same (the doers are still the doers, the comic relief still the comic relief, the night owls still the night owls), but it was incredible to realize how we had all matured. Don't get me wrong, I thought they were great before, but everyone had more compassion, more direction, more clarity even than I remembered. Despite different backgrounds, different cities and different careers, we had grown together.
24 May 2007
Tool.
Hiya! More posts to come after the second weekend in a row out of town (last weekend - AWESOME mini college reunion, this weekend - baseball tournament in Baltimore, sure to be hilarious). I'm the busiest person with no job EVER.
I thought I would share with you the story of how I looked like a huge tool last night. As background information, I rarely see anyone else in my building. I often catch L. and her grumpy dog, Brutus (too good to keep anonymous) walking outside, but I'm usually quite surprised to see anyone in the stairwell. Anyway, I'm getting my laundry together last night, singing Maroon5 *very loudly*. Let's pause to mention that I really don't like Maroon5 and can't escape the general feeling that anyone who does like them and is over the age of 16...well, you might want to ask some questions. Songs are ubiquitous, though. On my way out the door, I dropped a bra, picked it up, and tossed it over my shoulder. I then opened the door, underwear draped over my shoulder, belting out 'Sunday Morning' only to find some guy literally less than one foot away - I just about hit him with the laundry basket, he was that close - holding flowers, knocking on my neighbor's door.
Me: Oh! Sorry...I...
Some Guy: Uh, hi.
Me: Hi. Uh...She's not home?
SG: Guess not.
Me: Uh, okay. Uh, good luck
As my brother pointed out, should have told him I was in a Maroon5 cover band.
I thought I would share with you the story of how I looked like a huge tool last night. As background information, I rarely see anyone else in my building. I often catch L. and her grumpy dog, Brutus (too good to keep anonymous) walking outside, but I'm usually quite surprised to see anyone in the stairwell. Anyway, I'm getting my laundry together last night, singing Maroon5 *very loudly*. Let's pause to mention that I really don't like Maroon5 and can't escape the general feeling that anyone who does like them and is over the age of 16...well, you might want to ask some questions. Songs are ubiquitous, though. On my way out the door, I dropped a bra, picked it up, and tossed it over my shoulder. I then opened the door, underwear draped over my shoulder, belting out 'Sunday Morning' only to find some guy literally less than one foot away - I just about hit him with the laundry basket, he was that close - holding flowers, knocking on my neighbor's door.
Me: Oh! Sorry...I...
Some Guy: Uh, hi.
Me: Hi. Uh...She's not home?
SG: Guess not.
Me: Uh, okay. Uh, good luck
As my brother pointed out, should have told him I was in a Maroon5 cover band.
12 May 2007
All Roads Lead To Perryville
I went to Rockford last weekend to try out for a professional softball team. Didn't make it (they were only looking for two players) but wasn't the worst player there either. And I'm still the best bunter I know. It's not too useful, but it's something.
I hate to be cliche, but it was one of those days that reminds you that all you really need is good company. When I think about what I did -
four hours of chasing a softball around, got nailed in the kneecap with a line drive (I swear it bounced because why wouldn't I catch a line drive? Others differ.), went to some weird fast food restaurant in an old firehouse, took a mini-hike (more like a slow walk) in Rock Cut State Park (which has no rocks, incidentally), had a incredibly hard time trying to turn onto Perryville road when we were *already* on Perryville road (that's what happens when you put two people with no sense of direction together), got some ice cream in a place with construction paper creations on the walls, attended approximately 15 minutes of an extremely strange brand-x Arena Football game, and got home after 11:00 at night, really sore and really happy -
- I can't say it would have appealed to me as a plan. But it turned out to be the best day I've had in quite a while.
I hate to be cliche, but it was one of those days that reminds you that all you really need is good company. When I think about what I did -
four hours of chasing a softball around, got nailed in the kneecap with a line drive (I swear it bounced because why wouldn't I catch a line drive? Others differ.), went to some weird fast food restaurant in an old firehouse, took a mini-hike (more like a slow walk) in Rock Cut State Park (which has no rocks, incidentally), had a incredibly hard time trying to turn onto Perryville road when we were *already* on Perryville road (that's what happens when you put two people with no sense of direction together), got some ice cream in a place with construction paper creations on the walls, attended approximately 15 minutes of an extremely strange brand-x Arena Football game, and got home after 11:00 at night, really sore and really happy -
- I can't say it would have appealed to me as a plan. But it turned out to be the best day I've had in quite a while.
09 May 2007
Roadkill
I was on my way home last night when the traffic slowed through the Six Corners intersection. I could see that something (a lot of somethings, actually) had spilled all over the road. The light changed, I got a little closer, and guess what it was? Probably about 30 hot dogs, hamburgers, and their respective buns strewn along the roadway. I have no idea how or when it happened, but I'm sure glad I got to see it.
02 May 2007
Update
Just in case inquiring minds want to know.
Yes, I did quit. It was...well, it was kind of crappy, but it sure proved that I was making the right decision. Gotta deal with two more weeks, two weekend trips, and then hopefully, a new job in the near future.
Also, about fifteen miles after the tire incident mentioned below, I heard a rock hit my windshield. Seemed pretty hard, but upon cursory inspection (I was driving, waiting for another tire to blow at any second, trying not to speed, and answering several "are you back on the road?" calls), there didn't seem to be any lasting effects. Lo and behold, I got into my car after work yesterday to discover a footlong crack on the lower right side. Why didn't I notice a smaller crack before? Well, it was directly behind the city sticker. Karma indeed. I'm going to go ahead and assume that this means I'm due for some good luck soon.
Yes, I did quit. It was...well, it was kind of crappy, but it sure proved that I was making the right decision. Gotta deal with two more weeks, two weekend trips, and then hopefully, a new job in the near future.
Also, about fifteen miles after the tire incident mentioned below, I heard a rock hit my windshield. Seemed pretty hard, but upon cursory inspection (I was driving, waiting for another tire to blow at any second, trying not to speed, and answering several "are you back on the road?" calls), there didn't seem to be any lasting effects. Lo and behold, I got into my car after work yesterday to discover a footlong crack on the lower right side. Why didn't I notice a smaller crack before? Well, it was directly behind the city sticker. Karma indeed. I'm going to go ahead and assume that this means I'm due for some good luck soon.
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