Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Two steps forward

In case you were wondering, the 80's night in SF never happened. We made the 30 minute drive down to the Mission District, parked, and then I reached into my huge purse and realized I left my license at home. Of course I had a package of roasted almonds, and a pair of socks, but no ID. Now, this is California, and they are very strict at clubs with IDs. When I was in New Orleans, all we needed to do was smile at the bouncer to be let in, but Cali is a total cock block. Moving on...Its day 2 of my new job and my optimism is waning. Patience has never been a virtue for me. I sat in on a 9am meeting with our team in India, and I could barely understand anything they were saying. In fact, since half of my work is from India, I'm having trouble understanding their English. I feel bad saying that. I know at this point, I keep thinking to myself that its my fault for not picking up a second language like Bengali, Hindi, or Punjabi especially since I'm in the tech industry. The people at my work are very nice and very busy. I have a feeling that I will be worked to the bone. Though, I don't see any possibilities for future friends at this job either. But I do get free soda, free juice, and free snacks of various types.


I'm still getting used to the area. I live in the downtown area, so about 4 times a day, I see homeless people wandering around collecting cans. It doesn't help that my friend keeps telling me, "I'd be afraid living in downtown by myself. You need a boyfriend to keep you safe." Well sweetheart, you should have seen the neighborhood I lived in while I was in Buffalo. Its not in my nature to hate on people just for being homeless, and I don't believe homeless people are inherently dangerous. It's just taken some time to get used to, and I'm not quite used to it or living alone yet. Maybe I watch too much Law & Order: SVU. Other than that, I feel like I have a lot more control of my life now. I get to and from work within 15 minutes, I cook my own food, I'm adopting a gym routine. Its nice. I finally feel like I'm comfortable. I'm thinking of starting a book club meetup. One that concentrates on good literature, not bestseller crap. I'm also thinking of volunteering for some local art-like venue. My company gives grants to the places that I volunteer at.


P.S. Is anyone obsessed with "Got to Give it Up" by Marvin Gaye?

4 comments:

Shawn said...

ok, first of all, my blog is called "flavors of entanglement", and i dont appreciate you mocking my broken dreams. shame on you.

with respect to your living situation, i definitely give you props for going it alone in the big city. and im inclined to believe that if you can make it in the BK, you can make it just about anywhere.

and like i told you earlier, the first month or so at a new job really suck. go back and read about your first weeks in NYC...i remember sharing the misery with you. you will be fine. better than fine. soon. just you wait!

and there is nothing wrong with best sellers.

Shawn said...

and ps: i dont think anyone has been obsessed with marvin gaye since approx 1978.

fifi said...

I say good for you for living alone! I'm a big believer that you've gotta live by yourself for at least a few years to truly figure out who you are. So live it up, Big D! And quit watching SVU -- you don't live in NYC anymore.

As for your job, give it at least a couple months. And don't be afraid to speak up during meetings & say, I"m sorry, but I can't understand what you're saying." It's not rude if you can't translate their thick accents. If they're conducting meetings in English, it should be intelligible English.

And, um, excuse me, Shawn, but the Big D's not alone in obsessing over Marvin Gaye. I still do too. Not in an I'm-your-dad-&-I'll-kill-you-if-I-feel-like-it sorta way, but in a holy-damn-nobody-makes-music-like-this-anymore kinda way.

Anonymous said...

amen. i love you fifi.