The Working Momma » Work http://theworkingmomma.com Mon, 31 May 2010 13:30:47 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Cube Life http://theworkingmomma.com/2010/01/18/cube-life/ http://theworkingmomma.com/2010/01/18/cube-life/#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:33:50 +0000 theworkingmomma http://theworkingmomma.com/?p=236 Like I said before, I started my new job. One of the biggest differences between where I was and where I am now is that instead of having an office with a door and two windows, I have a cubicle with no doors and no windows. I think it is probably 8 ft. x 8 ft. My cubicle is on the second floor of the building in this fairly small room that used to be a lunch room or break room. There are 7 cubicles in here. There is only one way in or out and I have to go by everyone else to get to mine. I chose to have the one in the very back corner because it offers at least a small amount of privacy. People have to know where to look to find me otherwise I am just forgotten. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
It’s been 3 years since I have had to work in a cubicle and there is a lot about cube life that I have to get used to. The biggest thing is that everyone can here what you say or what you listen to. I had gotten spoiled being able to listen to music through my iPhone using speakers so I wouldn’t have to wear headphones. That’s not the case now. I can’t exactly rock out or anything because of the other people around me. I hate having to wear headphones because I don’t like being tethered to my desk. The other thing about people being able to hear what you say is the gossip and phone calls. Before, I could use the phone for a personal call without having to worry about someone overhearing what I was saying. Not the case now. And God forbid you say something about someone else that you work with. The walls definately have ears and they are always listening.
Cubes are just so boring and drab. Who wants gray walls and a gray desk and black filing cabinets? Who wants two tiny, little shelves to put things on? They are just so impersonal, small and boring. There is even some kind of rule about plants. I don’t get that. Why can’t you have a little ivy on your desk or something. Anything would help to liven the place up.
Don’t get me wrong, I am happy to have a job. I just have to get used to living 10 hours of the day, Monday thru Thursday, in a little gray cube.

]]> http://theworkingmomma.com/2010/01/18/cube-life/feed/ 0 New Year, New Job, New Wardrobe http://theworkingmomma.com/2010/01/07/new-year-new-job-new-wardrobe/ http://theworkingmomma.com/2010/01/07/new-year-new-job-new-wardrobe/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:32:05 +0000 theworkingmomma http://theworkingmomma.com/?p=229 One of the good things about this new job is all of the shopping that I get to do for it.  I needed a whole new wardrobe for my new job.

When I worked in the plant, I wore Nomex (those fire-resistant jumpsuits) and steel-toed boots every day.  I had one suit and a couple pairs of khakis to my name.  I wore sweatpants, shorts, t-shirts or tank tops underneath my “blues” everyday.  I had no slacks and just a few nice shirts that fit.  How in the world was I going to manage to work in an office with that kind of a wardrobe?  I would have to wear the same thing every third day!

So, after I found out about the job I talked to HH.  I explained the situation to him and surprisingly he understood.  He told me to go and buy whatever I needed to get me started for the new job even if it meant we had to take the money out of savings.  I immediately went out and went shopping.  I got shirts, slacks and of course…SHOES!

I know that I will have to do some more shopping and I should have done it all in the first place since I had my shopping pass from HH but I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about spending all of that money.  I hate feeling guilty over shopping.  It is one of my favorite things to do.

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