A New Beginning

I just received a new assignment at work. Seems like a good time to start a blog, eh?

Not that I expect a lot of interesting prose to spring forth as a result of this new assignment; it's really just a confluence of events and situations that makes this a good time for fingers to hit the keyboard. No, I'm not talking about stars aligning, portentious omens appearing, or being commanded by the voices in my head. It's just this: I was reading a book that recommended blogging, I have a new desk, I am feeling motivated to write stuff. So there you go.

Let's start with the move.

For the last 3 years or so, I had been sitting in a cubicle in the "Proposal Development Center". It was a nice, ergonomic, wrap-around desk, with a printer right beside it and a large picture window behind it. It's nice to have quick access to a printer, or course, but the downside is that everyone in the room who ever printed anything would walk by my desk to pick up their work. That's not bad...it forces me to experience social contact on a regular basis and probably keeps me from becoming the backwoods-cabin-dwelling loner madman that my personality naturally gravitates toward. But it also means that by authority of my proximity to the machine, I became the defacto printer repair dude. I wasn't required to fix misfeeds & jams, mind you, but if I didn't, I'd have to listen to the machine's incessant beeping, which has the same grating sound as that "Hey, I'm backing up!" signal that they put on trash trucks to wake you up before sunrise and make you want to move to a cabin in the backwoods and...but I digress.

We're talking about the Xerox Doc 12, which I would highly endorse for a large-volume office printing environment. While its beeping did wake me up, er, I mean get my attention on a regular basis, it had amazingly clear and complete repair instructions on the little LCD panel on the top of the machine. Whether it was a jam, or it was out of "dry ink" (what we old-timers used to call "toner"), the diagrams left no doubt as to what would solve the problem.

Anyway, my cube in the PDC was nice. Since I'm a writer, you might expect me to spend a lot of time staring out the picture window, since that's what writers do when they're not punching qwertyuiop. But two things inhibited me: 1) there's nothing to see out the window but another big ugly building, and 2) I'm lazy, and turning around takes work.

So why would I want to move? Well, it's pretty simple, really. Working in the Proposal Development Center means that you have to work on proposals, which are large, high-stress projects that involve lots of overtime, potential for being away from home for long stretches, and soul-crushing limits on the creativity one is allowed to exhibit.

OK, perhaps I exaggerate about the soul-crushingness of the limit to creativity...but the being away from home part (overtime, etc.) crushes souls like Godzilla crushes apartment buildings.

OK, I'll admit it -- that's just my interpretation. Some people actually enjoy taking business trips and eating sushi every night at company expense, staying at places where somebody else washes your sheets, and being able to see all the exotic sights in places like, say, Huntsville, AL...but I can only stand being away from my swim team, family, and friends for a few days at a time.

So I wasn't too disappointed to move away from the PDC. My new assignment is to be the onsite editor for the Creative Media shop, which is where they produce the high-end illustrations, public displays, posters, and signage for all the company facilities and special events. Cool stuff. Talented, artistic people. Lots of nifty pictures from outer space, etc.

My new desk is in the basement, right next to the Reproduction Center. In other words, instead of being beside one printer, I am now in the same area as a zillion printers! But it's OK...there's a wall between myself and the machinery, and these devices are constantly tended by the experts, so I have no troubleshooting duties whatsoever.

The Creative Media people are right across the hall. So, on a regular basis during the work day, I trot over there and beg for editing to do. I'm like some sort of linguistic bum, hanging around asking people for handouts. "Hey, brother, can you spare a few pages of text?" So far, I've been given a few posters to look at, along with a slide show or two. I may be irritating the artists, but at least they've started throwing me a few tidbits. I'm loving it!

So -- what else can we lump under this "New Beginning" theme? Well, Spring is here, which means that it's officially time to step up the training intensity. Or at least, start training outdoors more, since the weather is finally decent. My "nice weather" training routine includes working on my running, putting in some miles on the bicycle, and swimming enough so that I'll be able to perform well in my 10K lake swim race in August. I would like to achieve a Personal Record (PR) in the lake swim this summer, so that's where my focus should be.

In terms of goals for running, well, they're a bit more modest. In running, if everything goes well, I avoid injuries, and I improve my form and speed -- by the end of the summer I'd really like to join the ranks of the RWDNGLA, Runners Who Do Not Get Laughed At. That would put me at least a couple of levels above my current status -- when people see me running, they either call 911 or merely mutter silent prayers for "that poor, poor man". Some who have grown up on ranches would probably prefer the "Old Yeller" solution, but most are content to just turn away in some combination of pity and disgust.

For biking, I'd just like to be able to ride well enough to do a triathlon if the urge strikes me. My friends all think that doing at least one triathlon each summer is a requirement, and I would probably agree...if there were no entry fees. But I end up asking myself if paying $100 or so for the opportunity to torture myself in public performing sports that I can do for free every day is really a good idea. And as of today, the jury is still out. If there were cash prizes, feature articles in newspapers, or even a trophy involved, I might decide to go for it. But until I have indeed joined the RWDNGLA, such considerations are well beyond any rational hopes I might have.

But speaking of trophies, I did get one yesterday. Tune in to my next installment to hear all about it.

Have a great day!