New Life in QUOTIDIEN

I am LOVING this new job. Of course, there is much to learn, still - but I have the basics down pat.

I have been assigned to two buildings. 'A' building is relatively quiet, and 'B' building is high traffic. They are both highly secured buildings. Badges are necessary to enter - NO exceptions. I'd been warned that the people at the building are real hard noses. Never smiling, rarely speaking. 'They hold us officers in low regard'. In the words of Barney Stinson, I thought, 'CHALLENGE ACCEPTED'.

Much of my morning was spent trying to get JP, my co-desk worker, to release the station to me. Much of HIS time was about searching his files to look at this and that - an effort to 'help me out' despite my reassurances that I had what I needed. As a result, I was only able to clock in at 11:01.

'Now, you see there, JP? I clocked in late. I hate clocking in late.'

Without looking at me, he said, 'Nah! We got a 7 minute grace period.' . 'I understand that, JP. But I don't like using any of that grace period unless it is absolutely necessary. I hold myself to a pretty rigid standard.'

And it's true! What is with the attitude that we should use what is intended as grace for special circumstances, to benefit ourselves when we have no need of it? When I was given my shift, I wasn't told my start time was between 10:53 and 11:07. I was told 11:00.

At any rate, he finally turned over the station, and people were streaming into the building. I was up on my feet, greeting everyone with a smile, threw in a few 'welcome back's, and nodded to the more stodgy folk. Groups of men were greeted as 'gentlemen', groups of women as 'ladies'.

Turns out, these people weren't as wooden as I'd been warned. In fact, at the end of the day, I found them to be warm, receptive, and kind. My 'good mornings' and 'good afternoons' were mostly returned to me, as were my smiles. Several even stopped to share pleasantries.

As my friend Sharon has long stated, I am a human Labrador Retriever - willing and ready to meet new people. If I could jaywalk across the street, make a couple of New York cops smile, hold a stuffed penguin, and willingly pose (and smile) for my camera, all without getting ticketed, I could handle this building! I will always remember that slightly slack-jawed look Sharon had over that one. heheheh

Despite the long shifts, I am feeling filled with energy by the returns I'm getting.

How much do I like this new job? It is LEGEN-wait for it-DARY!